


Isolation

by VGCKenny



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Kwamis, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Emilie Agreste is not dying, F/M, Gabriel Agreste Is Not Hawk Moth, Gabriel Agreste is Actually Nice, I'm just like that, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, tags to be added as time goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 44,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23197657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VGCKenny/pseuds/VGCKenny
Summary: Adrien Agreste heads to school for the first time, breaking free from the isolation that his parents provided. So when he meets someone who says she prefers to be isolated from the rest of the world, Adrien can't help but figure her out, and maybe help her leave her self-imposed isolation. It doesn't hurt that she's Adrien's new favorite designer for his father's company. It also doesn't hurt that she's cute.(DISCLAIMER: This is an AU with no kwamis or other powers. Emilie isn’t dying, and Gabriel isn’t evil.)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Lê Chiến Kim/Ondine
Comments: 66
Kudos: 258





	1. What The World Has to Offer

**Author's Note:**

> This idea just came to me. Current events may have helped, but there are other factors that played into this idea. This is my first time writing an AU, so I'm excited to see how it goes. I hope you enjoy it.

It was the first day of the new school year. Not that it made much of a difference to Adrien, having been home-schooled his whole life. Just because your dad is the head of a fashion empire, and you were his premier model, doesn’t mean you had to spend all of his time cooped up in the house.

Still, Adrien got ready as he usually did. He took a shower, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and waited until his father’s assistant came to get him. He’d usually pass this time by reading. Today, he felt drawn to a fashion magazine. He was excited to read this particular issue.

He had to admit, being a model for his father’s company had its perks. Sure, there was the usual things; a life of luxury, fancy parties, and notoriety. As much as he enjoyed those things, Adrien loved the little things more. Like seeing the smiles on the faces of the people who admired him. Or helping others with his brand. Or even getting to know Vincent, the photographer.

One thing Adrien especially liked was all of the different styles of clothes he was given to wear. That was thanks to the amount of designers his father had hired. They all had such unique styles, and Adrien loved each and every one of them.

However, there was a new designer that was quickly rising to the top in Adrien’s heart. A mysterious and enigmatic designer who refers to herself as “Ladybug”. She started sending his father designs months ago. His father liked them so much that he agreed to hire her on the spot. She agreed, but on the condition that she continue submitting designs electronically, and refused personal contact. His father was curious, but agreed to it. Since then, Ladybug has been supplying various designs for the company, and Adrien loved each and every one of them.

Adrien had hopes of one day meeting Ladybug as well. However, he had very little to go on. All he knew was she lived in Paris, she would always initiate contact with his father, and her real first name.

Being around a lot of fashion people taught him a few things. One such thing was that artists tended to sign their work. Sure, people could spot the “LB” logo on the designs, but Adrien was determined. When looking though some of the patterns on some of her designs, Adrien figured that if you reorient it, you can clearly see her name. “Marinette.”

Adrien was excited because Ladybug had agreed to an interview. He read the entirety of it back and forth a few times. He picked up a few new details, but nothing that would help him find this mystery designer. “Drat. I was hoping this could help.”

There was a knock at the door. “Adrien. Breakfast is ready” said Nathalie, his father’s assistant.

“I’ll be right there,” he said.

“Before you go about your usual demeanor,” Nathalie said, “your parents have a surprise for you.”

_A surprise? What could that be._ “Alright, I’m coming!” he said. Before he left, he grabbed his favorite piece of Ladybug merch; a lucky charm. Adrien loved every little bit of it. Plus, he found that it also brought him good luck.

When Adrien came down to the dining room, he was surprised. Standing there were his father and mother. “Father? Mother?”

“Hi sweetie” Emilie, his mother, said.

“We need to talk to you,” Gabriel, his father, and namesake of the business, said.

Adrien was stunned. He sat down. “When did you get back from your shoot, mother?”

“Just last night” Emilie said. “Nathalie had informed me that you had gone to bed by the time I got back.”

Adrien smiled. His mother was an actress, and he loved seeing her onscreen. Still, it was nice when she was here as well. “So, what’s this about then?”

“Well, your father and I have been talking,” Emilie said. “We wanted to do tell you last night, but, well, you know. Anyway, we finally agreed to let you go to school.”

Adrien’s face lit up. “No way!”

Gabriel smiled. “Yes son. We’ve seen how exhausted you’ve been getting being cooped up here. We decided that it was best for you to experience the world as it is.”

Adrien hugged his parents. “Thank you father. Mother.”

His parents returned the hug. Once it was done, his father informed him “You start today.”

“TODAY?!” Adrien shrieked “But I don’t have anything prepared!”

Gabriel smiled. “Relax. We’ve been taking care of it” he said.

“We wanted it to be a surprise,” Emilie said.

Adrien smiled. “Thanks again!” he said.

“Your bodyguard has all your supplies in the car,” Gabriel said. “He won’t accompany you to class, but he will be on standby in case anything happens.” Adrien nodded. “Also, you are to keep up with your extracurriculars, as well as continuing to model. Do you understand?” Adrien nodded again. “If it gets too overwhelming, you can always pull out.”

“Oh stop” Emilie said, smacking her husband. “He really wants this. He’s not going to pull out at the first sign of trouble.”

Gabriel smiled embarrassed. “I know…it’s just hard.”

Emilie put her hand on his shoulder. “I know sweetie, but it’s the right choice.” She kissed him on the cheek.

Gabriel smiled. He turned back to Adrien. “Now, eat up. You have a big day ahead of you.”

“Yes sir!” Adrien said. He sat down and had breakfast with his family. This didn’t happen terribly often, what with his parents being busy a lot, so he got to appreciate moments like this. To him, this was the best breakfast ever. On top of being delicious as always, his parents were here, AND he was going to school. How lucky could one guy get? “So, where am I going to school?” he asked.

“I believe it’s called Francois Dupont High” Gabriel chimed in.

“Yes. It’s where your friend Chloe goes” Emilie added. “I had a talk with Audrey about it, and she says it’s great!”

Adrien’s day was getting better and better. Not only is he going to school, but his friend is there already? He smiled. “I can’t wait!” He started eating faster.

Gabriel chuckled. “Settle down son” he said. “I know you’re excited, but you must remember your manners.”

“Yes father,” Adrien said. He wasn’t really sorry. He was too excited to be sorry. Still, he slowed down. He didn’t want to ruin his first day of school after all.

After breakfast, he made his way to the car. Just as his father said, all his supplies were there. Textbooks, notebooks, pencils, pens, and of course a designer bag from Gabriel to put it all in. Adrien smiled, took out his lucky charm, and attached it to the bag. He got buckled in, and his bodyguard drove off.

He was dropped off in front of the school. “Thank you,” he said. The bodyguard gave an appreciative grunt. He then drove off. Adrien took a second to take in his surroundings. The school building seemed immaculate. And right outside was a lovely park. And on the other side, there appeared to be a bakery. Adrien loved his first taste of freedom.

Suddenly, Adrien looked at a window above the bakery. He could see a pair of bluebell eyes looking back at him. He was confused. The eyes turned away and the blinds were closed. Adrien noted that moment as a curiosity for him.

He entered school and made his way to his classroom. Once class, his new teacher, Ms. Bustier, introduced him. “Class, this is Adrien Agreste. He is new to school life. Please treat him with kindness.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” he said. His class was in awe. It couldn’t be helped. He was a celebrity after all. “I just want you to know, despite me being a model, I just want you to treat me like any other student.” They all murmured in agreement.

“Thank you” Ms. Bustier said. Now, let us begin. Adrien, why don’t you take a seat next to Nino?” She pointed out an empty seat in the front row.

“OK” Adrien said. He took his seat, and class began.

During break,he turned to his new seat buddy and asked “So, how do you like it here?”

Nino looked at him weird. “Oh right. You haven’t gone to school at all.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said.

“Well, don’t worry, if you need someone to show you the ropes, I’m your man” Nino said.

Adrien smiled at Nino’s confidence. “Thanks,” he said.

“Oh, and how are you going to guide him through school?” said a girl. Adrien and Nino turned to meet her. “From my understanding, you’re not doing so hot.”

“Lighten up, Alya,” Nino said jokingly. “I’m helping him with the social aspects. The dude is by himself. All alone out in the world for the first time.”

“Well, actually, I have a friend,” Adrien interjected.

Alya and Nino looked at him. “Who?” Nino asked.

“Chloe Bourgeois” Adrien answered. “But I’d love to make new friends.”

Nino seemed concerned, but he accepted. “Very well. I’ll be your friend” he said, reaching out his hand.

Adrien shook it. “Thanks.”

“By the way, if this one ever leads you astray, you can contact me” Alya said. She also shook hands with Adrien.

“Alya…” Nino whined. “Don’t embarrass me like that.”

“I can’t help it,” she said, wearing a grin. The two started laughing and playfully shoving each other.

Adrien smiled. “So, how long have you two been dating?” he asked.

Alya and Nino stopped. “Um, well…” Alya stuttered.

“We’re not actually dating,” Nino said.

“Oh” Adrien said. “I’m sorry. It just seemed like…”

Nino put his hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “It’s OK dude. I get it. You’re new to this whole thing.”

Adrien was perplexed. He wasn’t going to say that, but to keep the awkward conversation to a minimum, he said “Sure.”

“Oh come on, you can’t blame him,” Alya said. “A lot of people ask that about us.”

“True,” Nino said. “I think one more and we get a free sandwich.”

Alya turned to Adrien. “We just hang out a lot. You really lucked out. This class is pretty tightly knit.”

Adrien smiled. “Cool!”

“So, if you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask us” Nino said. “Either of us!” He gave Alya a stern look. Alya rolled her eyes.

Adrien figured it would be a good time to ask. “Well, something happened earlier today,” Adrien said.

“What is it, dude?” Nino asked.

Adrien seemed confused. “Well, when I got here, I looked around and saw that there was a bakery nearby. I saw someone looking at me from there. They had these bluebell eyes.”

Nino and Alya turned grim. “Oh. Her” Nino said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Alya said. “That’s just some parasite. She’s just trying to spy on you. She used to go to school here, but had to leave.”

Adrien was concerned. “What happened?”

Nino turned him to another student. “See that girl over there?” Adrien took note of the Italian girl that Nino was pointing at. She glanced at him and waived her fingers. Adrien waived back. “Her name is Lila. The girl you saw bullied her extensively. Eventually, she was kicked out of school.”

“Oh my” Adrien said.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Alya said. “That was a while ago. Everything’s cool now.”

“Are you sure?” Adrien asked.

“Totally” Alya said. “Now that Marinette is out of the school, everything is great.”

Adrien froze. That name. Marinette. It hit him like a ton of bricks. _Could it be…?_

Meanwhile, at his workstation, Gabriel received an email from Ladybug. He opened it curiously. “I saw your son going to school today, and, well, I got inspired. I spent all morning sketching these ‘Back to School’ outfits that I think he would like. I’m sorry if this’ll be too late, but it was a surprise seeing him out and about like that. Thanks anyway. -LB”

Gabriel took a look at the sketches. He smiled at them. “A wonderful job, as usual” he said.


	2. The Nature of the Conflicting Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm just getting started, but I'm really loving how fun this story can be sometimes. Of course, there is going to be some hard moments, but the fun that's there is really fun in my opinion.

Adrien stood there frozen. Marinette. The name he’s been chasing. It suddenly found him, but not in the way he had imagined. To the outside world, “Marinette” was a bully who deserved to be expelled. He couldn’t process it.

“Dude? Are You OK?” NIno said.

“Huh?” Adrien said, snapping out of it. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking of something else.”

Alya smiled. “Well, like I said, you don’t need to worry about her. She’s not here anymore.”

“Right,” Adrien said.

“Adrikiiiiins!” Chloe said, calling out to him.

The three looked at Chloe. “Chloe, what did I tell you about that nickname in public?” Adrien asked.

“Sorry Adrikins” Chloe said. “I’m just so excited to see you outside of social events or our residences.”

Nino slyly looked at Adrien. “So, how long have YOU two been dating?” he asked.

“We’re not dating,” Adrien said, exasperated.

“YET!” Chloe added. “We’re not dating yet.”

“Chloe…” Adrien said. _She’s always been like this. It can be exhausting sometimes, but Chloe’s generally a good person…if you’re willing to look deep enough._ Alya and Nino giggled. “So, did you just come by to say ‘hi’ to me?” Adrien asked.

“Actually, I talked with the principal, and he said it was OK for me to take you on a tour of the school,” Chloe said.

Adrien was pleasantly surprised. “Oh. Cool. Wanna do that now then?”

“Of course” Chloe said. “Let’s go.” She grabbed his hand and began dragging him.

“Um, well, seeya” Adrien said. “Chloe you can stop dragging me now.” Alya and Nino continued to giggle.

Chloe went on to give a spirited detailing of the school as best she could. Adrien could tell Chloe wasn’t the biggest fan of school, but the fact that she was trying so hard just to impress him was adorable in Adrien’s eyes. Adrien knew that when Chloe set her mind on something, she would try relentlessly to get it. He liked that about her. Unfortunately, he didn’t like that one of those things happened to be him.

“Any questions?” Chloe asked.

“Um, yeah, actually” Adrien said. Chloe got a worried look on her face. “Not about the tour, the tour was great.” Chloe was so relieved she jumped up and down and clapped to herself. “I just heard about something that happened a little while back, and I want your opinion on it.”

“Oh. OK sure. What’s up?” Chloe asked.

Adrien seemed nervous, but pressed on. “What do you know about Marinette?”

“Hm. Good riddance!” Chloe said. Adrien seemed disappointed. “I’ve known for a while that she was a bad apple. But they didn’t listen to me.”

Adrien then became curious. He’d known Chloe for a long time, and “they didn’t listen to me” could mean one of two things. Either the person genuinely is bad, or, what Adrien was kind of hoping for, that person and Chloe clashed a lot due to Chloe’s overzealous nature.

He pressed on. “So, when you say you knew…”

“Hah! That wannabe kept trying to show me up, every which way!” Chloe ranted.

_There it is._

“She even challenged my position as class president!” Chloe continued.

“Oh my” Adrien said, playing along. “How did you defeat her?”

“Well, I didn’t…” Chloe said. “But that was before. When everyone else liked her.”

“I see,” Adrien said.

“Ugh! Why do you even care? It’s not like she’s here anymore!” Chloe asked.

That was a fair question. He couldn’t say “She might be the mysterious designer that designs all of my favorite fashions.” Still, he had to say something. Chloe might not be the brightest bulb of the bunch, but she knew when Adrien was lying.

He had to say something though. “Well, it’s my first time at school” he said. “After hearing about such an incident, I guess I’m a little worried.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. It just wasn’t the entire truth.

Still, it was enough for Chloe to believe it. “I see. Well, don’t worry your pretty little head. If anything like that were to happen to you, I’d have daddy go after them in seconds.”

Adrien smiled nervously. “Thanks Chloe. Um, should we get back to class?”

“What? Oh, yeah, whatever” Chloe said. The two walked off. Chloe looked at Adrien’s charm. “Is that a Ladybug charm?”

“Yeah,” Adrien said.

“It’s sooooo cute!” she said. “You’re so lucky you get to see her designs before the general public does. One of these days, I’m insisting on modeling some of her stuff with you.”

“If Vincent will let you back after what happened…” Adrien said.

Chloe pouted. She then sighed. “Still, I hope I get to meet her one day.”

Adrien looked at his charm. “Me too,” he said.

After school, Adrien was heading out when Nino caught up with him. “Hey dude. Wanna hang out?”

Adrien smiled. “Sorry. I’ve got Chinese today.”

“Aw man!” Nino said. “Tomorrow?”

“Well, actually, I’m kind of a busy person,” Adrien said. “How about this? We exchange info, and I’ll contact you to let you know when I’m free.”

“Deal!” Nino said. The two exchanged information and then shook hands. Nino took off to get home.

Adrien had a little bit of time before he had to be home for Chinese lessons. He waited for his ride and thought about today. Overall, school seemed fun. But he felt something was weird about this whole Marinette situation. _Could she be Ladybug?_ he asked himself. _Maybe it’s just a coincidence. They could be two different people._

Adrien then got a text from his father. He checked it out. “Good news Adrien!” it began. “Apparently, Ladybug saw you going to school today and sent me some Back to School designs. As always, they are spectacular. With any luck, they’ll be ready to model within a week. How exciting is that?!”

Adrien was confounded. Still, he texted his father back, matching his excitement. That erased any doubt in his mind. Marinette the bully was Ladybug the designer. Adrien knew that now. _But how could a bully create such heart-felt designs? If she was a bully. Based on what Chloe told me, there might be more to this than meets the eye._

His ride showed up. He looked at it, and then the bakery. He ran down the steps and made his way to the driver’s window. “Um, can you give me a few minutes?” he asked. “I was told that this bakery over here makes really good stuff. I wanted to try it out. His bodyguard was confused, but didn’t push the issue, just nodding. “Great, thanks!” Adrien said. He made his way to the bakery.

When he entered, the two people working there turned and looked at him in awe. “Um, hello?” he said.

“Sorry” said the woman. “It’s just, we don’t see many people your age come around here these days.”

“Why’s that?” Adrien asked.

“Well…” the woman said.

The man slammed his fist. “It’s all because of that stupid incident.”

“Incident?” Adrien asked.

The woman was shaken, but remained calm. “See, our daughter was accused of bullying.”

“Oh, right. I’ve heard about that” Adrien said.

“Yes, well, because of that, most kids your age have vowed not to come here” the woman continued.

“She’s not a bully!” the man forcefully added.

“I see,” Adrien said. “Well, I’m kind of new to all of this, so I wouldn’t know.

The woman smiled. “You’re so kind,” she said.

Adrien smiled back at her. “Anyway, I was wondering if I could get some cookies or something.”

“Of course dear” the woman said. “Dear?”

“On it,” he said. He bagged up some fresh cookies and gave it to him.

Adrien smiled. “Thanks. By the way, I love the logo of your sign out front.”

“Thank you,” the woman said.

“You know, Ladybug made it for us,” the man added.

“You know what? I could tell” Adrien said.

The woman added “Of course, this was before she got big.”

“You don’t say…” Adrien said. “Well, thanks again.” He left. He made his way back to the car. He grabbed a cookie and took a bite out of it. Adrien stopped. He couldn’t believe how good these cookies were. He finished that one and went into the car to go home.

After Chinese was over, Adrien looked over his school work and got all of the assignments he needed to do right away before dinner. After dinner, he thought about this whole Ladybug/Marinette thing some more. Her parents seem to deny it. I mean, of course they would, but Adrien sensed something different about them. He’d seen Chloe’s dad deny some of Chloe’s…less than admirable stunts before. This wasn’t like that. There was genuine pain and doubt when talking about the supposed bullying.

He knew that he had to look into this Lila character. He also knew that he had to find some way to talk to Ladybug herself. He also knew that no matter how hard he thought about it, he wouldn’t get anywhere. He needed to take action.

Lucky for him, whenever his mother gets back from a shoot, his father would take her out on a fancy dinner date. Nathalie had some business to take care of in her office, so she wasn’t watching. And his bodyguard was only there to make sure he didn’t leave the house without permission. He decided to sneak into his father’s office to try and get Ladybug’s email address. You know, as you do.

He managed to sneak into the office without detection. He got to the computer, but Adrien then realized he made one very important mistake. “Password? Aw man. Why didn’t I think about that?” He left his father’s office. It looked like he wasn’t going to get the answers he wanted tonight.

He went back to his room. He tried doing various things to calm himself down, but he remained restless. He then looked out his window and paused.

Surely, it wasn’t a smart idea. But he knew where she lived. It wasn’t too far from here. He’s not going out the front door, so his bodyguard wouldn’t catch him. It wasn’t that high of a drop down either. And he had good upper body strength, so he could climb back up if he needed to.

But there was one big problem. People knew who he was. If anyone saw him out there, it would surely get back to his parents. They might take him out of school. And after he just broke free too. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to betray his parents’ trust.

He couldn’t just sit around and do nothing though. This was his chance to meet the person designing all of his favorite stuff at the moment. A chance to see the mind behind the beauty. He didn’t want to waste a moment. So he looked around his room, searching for anything that could be a suitable disguise.

He sifted through his closet. He found a black hoodie from an old photoshoot. The product was in circulation now, so it could cover up his trademark usual style well enough without giving him away. He also found a pair of black gloves, which was from a motorcycle-themed photoshoot. Adrien wouldn’t think this would be needed, but his father did show him some websites based on identifying celebrity hands, so he’d rather not take that chance.

Now for the head. Adrien kept looking. He found a box of discarded stuff from shoots that didn’t go too well. Adrien wanted to keep all of the Ladybug ones, since he thought they looked good, they just didn’t work with him specifically.

He decided to peak inside and found something that could work; a cat mask. Ladybug had sent it in because she was inspired by glam rock, but his father found it too gaudy. Adrien liked it though, but it did clash with his more reserved image.

He found some paints as well. His father wanted to try and restyle it, but he couldn’t find a style he liked. Adrien took some black paint and carefully painted the mask black. He took his hair dryer and dried the paint. He put it on, and thus his disguise was complete. He then grabbed a pen and paper and wrote a note. He then made his move.

He opened the window and looked down hesitantly. “Now or never Adrien!” He opted for now, and jumped. He landed safely, but did feel some aftershock. He then made his way through the yard and over the gate.

Making his way through the city was weird. As Adrien, he was used to getting stared at. But in disguise, no one batted an eye. It felt a little refreshing. But that’s not why he was there. He had to maintain focus.

He arrived at the bakery. He took out his note, looked it over, and then looked at the bakery. He needed to get it to her directly. Putting it through the front door would only alert her parents, and if they didn’t know they’d have questions, and if they did, they would protect her. His only option was above. The window he spotted her out was just below a balcony. So that was his goal.

He thought about it for a moment. He didn’t want to climb more than he had to, and his paper plane skills were a little too imprecise. So, as much as he thought it would appear rude, he crumpled the note and threw it up there.

“That should do it. Now all I have to do is wait” Adrien said. He left to go back home as soon as possible. As he was leaving, a timid Marinette had come up. She had heard the sound of something landing on her roof and went to investigate. She found a crumpled up note. She took it and quickly went back inside.

“More hate mail?” she said to herself. “This late at night? When will it stop?” She opened it to find something rather different.

“Hello Marinette. Or should I say Ladybug? I’ve been looking for you. I wanted to thank you for creating such lovely styles. You are amazing. Unfortunately, I have heard terrible rumors about you, but I don’t want to believe them. But at least those rumors lead me to identifying you. Please, contact me so we can talk. -Adrien Agreste.”

Marinette looked the letter over. She was in shock. And underneath the signature was Adrien’s email address. She knew it was real because it was a gabriel.com email address, the same kind that she would email Gabriel himself. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. She got to her computer to reply right away.

Meanwhile Adrien was walking back home, feeling good about what he had accomplished. “I sure hope she gets it,” he said to himself. He was too blissful to notice a man with a camera looking at him. He snapped a shot of this mysterious figure dressed in all black wearing a cat mask.

Adrien arrived at home. He managed to sneak in just fine and climb back up to his room. He hung up his hoodie and stashed the gloves and mask in a drawer. He changed into his pajamas, and slid happily into bed. Within minutes he was asleep.

He woke up the next morning and immediately checked his emails to see if Marinette responded. To his surprise, he got an email with the subject “PLEASE CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!” “That’s weird,” he said.

He looked into it and found the following. “Um, hello. Apparently some prankster has gotten a hold of your email address and is giving it out to random people. I got a note with it last night after it was thrown up onto my balcony. Anyway, just a heads up. -Marinette”

He smiled and responded. “No that was me. I gave it to you because I wanted to talk. And thanks again for creating such good stuff, Ladybug. I have to be getting to school, but I will contact you later. Seeya. -Adrien”

He then checked his phone for other alerts. He saw a news alert that seemed out of the ordinary. “Mysterious Figure Spotted in Paris.” “Wonder what this could be.” He checked it to see a photo of him in his disguise. He was a little nervous. However, he said “At least it wasn’t ‘Adrien’ me…”


	3. Hairline Fracture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've noticed that when I'm beginning stories, I tend to update them frequently. Then it peters out to less frequent updates the longer it goes. I guess current events have made that easier to extend.

For a second day in a row, Adrien’s parents joined him for breakfast. Adrien’s mind was racing about Marinette, but also about how he was caught on camera wearing all black and a cat mask. Still, the photo itself didn’t seem to reveal anything. Hopefully he would get lucky and nobody would know it’s him.

“Hey, did you see that mysterious figure wandering around Paris?” Emilie asked. Adrien turned and looked at her.

“Yes” his father answered dryly. Adrien turned to him. “Honestly, people will make news about anything.”

“Aw, come on,” Emilie said. “Where’s your sense of fun?”

“My sense of fun has yet to wake up,” Gabriel said. “But honestly, it’s just some guy in dark clothes and a mask. What’s so intriguing about that?”

“Why is he wearing a mask?” Emilie added. “Why is he wearing all black at night? Why is he trying to hide himself? There are so many questions. It’s a mystery!”

Gabriel smiled. “Alright. I guess I can see the fun.” Emilie smiled. Gabriel turned to Adrien. “So, do you have any thoughts on this mystery guy?”

Adrien was flummoxed. “Well, um, he didn’t seem dangerous, did he? I didn’t get a chance to read the article before coming down here.”

Emilie shook her head. “In a way, that’s even more mysterious! Is he a hero? A purveyor of justice?”

“Or is he just biding his time to make his move?” Gabriel said.

“Oh, don’t be so pessimistic dear” Emilie said. “You were so worried about Adrien going to school, but that’s turning out alright!”

Gabriel smiled. “Yeah.”

“Speaking of, I need to finish breakfast and head off,” Adrien said. He finished. “OK. Seeya.”

“Have a good day,” his mother said.

Before he left, he passed by Nathalie. “Hey Nathalie. When am I free next? Some of my new friends want to hang out, and I need to know when I’m not busy.”

Nathalie smiled. “Tell you what, I’ll just email your schedule to you from now on.”

“Really?” Adrien asked.

Nathalie nodded. “It was fine when we were homeschooling you because you had nothing else going on, but now it seems you’re going to have a busy school life, so you should know when you’re doing something.”

Adrien hugged her. “Thanks Nathalie!” he said. Nathalie was surprised, but hugged back. Once he finished, he went out the door and into the car. He took out his phone and noticed Marinette had gotten back to him.

“So, you say you’re interested in me because I’m Ladybug. What makes you think I am? I’m just some girl who bullied someone. You should know that by now. There’s nothing special about me. Please leave me alone. -Marinette”

Adrien looked on with worry. He typed back “You say that, but I know for a fact that you’re Ladybug. And as I said, I don’t think you’re a bully exactly. I don’t believe that someone with an evil heart could create such beauty. I’ll prove to you I know it’s you once I get a chance. But right now, I have school. Later! -Adrien”

He got out of the car. His bodyguard left. He turned around to see those bluebell eyes once again looking at him curiously. He smiled and waved. She panicked and closed the blinds again. He shrugged and went inside.

He made his way to the classroom. Upon entry, Alya and Lila walked up to him. Lila seemed upset about something. “Adrien…” Alya said.

“Yes Alya?” Adrien asked.

“Um, I know you’re new to all of this, but because of the incident with Marinette, Lila doesn’t want us to go to her parent’s bakery anymore.”

Adrien was shocked. _They had mentioned that, but I didn’t think it would get so serious_. “How come?” he asked. “They seemed like nice people.”

“Yeah, well, they aren’t!” bursted out Lila. “They raised a bully with no remorse for her actions!” She then was shocked with herself and then started crying. “I’m sorry.” She cried into Alya’s shoulder.

“It’s OK,” Alya said, comforting her. She turned to Adrien. “She gets like this whenever Marinette gets brought up. It’s still an open wound for her.”

Adrien watched the two of them. Lila seemed deeply upset about this whole situation. He offered up an apology. “I’m sorry.”

Lila sniffed and looked up. “It’s OK” she said, drying her eyes. “I’ll forgive you, since you didn’t know.” Adrien smiled. Inside, he was thinking about all of this. Lila seemed very upset about what happened, but at the same time Adrien considered it just a little weird that even going to the bakery would cause this kind of reaction.

Once Lila composed herself, she looked at Adrien and said “You know, I’ve seen you in photos before, but meeting you in person…it’s like you’re on a whole new level of cute.”

Adrien got embarrassed quickly. Alya chimed in with “You know, I think Adrien and you would make a good couple.”

“Alya” Lila said, now equally embarrassed. She hid behind Alya.

“Uh, well, we just met, so that might be jumping the gun a little,” Adrien said. “I wouldn’t mind being friends though.”

Lila came out from behind Alya. She reached out her hand , and Adrien shook it. “Alright. Let’s be friends” she said with a smile.

Adrien nodded. Whatever this girl’s deal is, he knew he had to get close to her to figure it out. From their limited interactions, Marinette didn’t seem like the bullying type. But if that was the case, why would Lila say she was?

Alya then butted in. “Hey, did you guys see that mysterious figure story?!” she asked. She pulled out her phone to show them the image. “I can’t believe it! Paris might have its very own superhero!”

Lila giggled. “Oh Alya.”

“I really like superheroes,” Alya told Adrien.

Adrien smiled. “I do too.”

“So do I, but I think Alya might like them a little too much” Lila said.

Alya was embarrassed. “What’s wrong with that?” Adrien asked. Alya turned to him in shock.

Lila remained calm and said “Well, Alya can get a bit carried away at times. It’s usually my job to keep her grounded.”

“Yeah, but she’s not hurting anybody like this,” Adrien said. He turned to Alya. “You know what? Whenever we have some free time, we can further discuss superheroes.”

Alya’s face lit up. “Really?!”

Adrien smiled. “Totally.”

Alya hugge him. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!”

Neither of them noticed, but Lila was displeased. She then cheered up and said “Well, class is about to start. We should take our seats.”

Alya let go of Adrien. “Right,” she said, embarrassed. The three took their seats.

During break, Adrien checked his phone. He got an email from Nathalie about his schedule. It looked like he would be free this afternoon. _Sweet. I can hang out with Nino if he’s not busy._ Something else caught his eye though. His fencing lesson was now immediately after school. _What’s this?_ He saw a note right below it.

“Adrien, I’m assuming you’re curious about your fencing lesson. It turns out that Mr. D’Argencourt’s class is at your school. We’ve made arrangements for you to join the class. So, your fencing will be at school. Make sure to bring your fencing gear with you to school on those days. -Nathalie.”

Adrien smiled. He then saw he got a response from Marinette. “Very well. I’ll await your response. But I bet you have nothing. Since it’s not true.”

And then below it was a later response. “Why are you looking at me? And waiving?”

Adrien smiled. He responded “I do it to be polite. And I will prove to you I know you’re Ladybug. But it might have to wait a bit. I’m going to try hanging out with someone.”

Marinette responded almost instantly. “Oh. Right… you still like people…”

Adrien was worried about that response. He kind of figured that Marinette might have people problems after hearing that everyone turned on her. Still, he wasn’t going to solve that problem right away. He didn’t even know how deep it goes.

Right now, Adrien had to play it cool. He turned to Nino and said “Yo, I’m free this afternoon if you wanna hang out?”

Nino looked at him in delight. “For real?”

“Totally” Adrien said.

Nino smiled. “It’s settled! Where do you wanna go?”

“I dunno,” Adrien said. “I haven’t really been ‘out’ before.”

“Woah, seriously?” Nino said. “Then I know just where to take you! Meet me out front after school.” Adrien nodded.

Adrien and Nino met up after school. “So, where are we going?”

Nino smiled. “Follow me.” Adrien did. Before he went too far, he texted his bodyguard that he was hanging out with a friend today. “So, I heard you went to the Dupain-Cheng bakery yesterday,” Nino said.

“Huh. Oh yeah” Adrien said. “Apparently that place is off limits now?”

“Yeah,” Nino said. “Lila says it brings up bad memories for her.”

Adrien needed to tread lightly, but wanted to press on. “Now, I don’t know all the details, but doesn’t that seem like a bit much?”

Nino looked at him. “I dunno man,” he said. “It does seem harsh, but if Lila says it, it must be true.”

 _The way he talks about Lila seems weird. Almost like an authority figure. Alya acted similarly as well. Heck, even Lila kind of acted like an authority figure when the topic of superheroes was brought up. But we’re all around the same age, right?_ The two walked up to a dance club. “Is this where you’re taking me? It doesn’t seem open yet.”

“Relax dude” Nino said. “I sometimes DJ here. I just happen to be doing it tonight. On days where I work, the boss lets me come in early to hang out. Though I’ve never had a reason to before.” He took out a key and unlocked the door.

The two of them walked in. Adrien was in awe. He had never been to a place like this before. Even if it was deserted, he could still feel the life radiating off of everything. He couldn’t help but be amazed. “Wow!”

“I’m going to get set up quickly,” Nino said. He went to the DJ booth and set everything up. “Oh yeah, boss says we can get a drink so long as we pay for it.” Adrien looked at him confused. “Don’t worry. The alcohol is locked up, and the key I have only opens the door.”

Adrien smiled. He grabbed a drink and started drinking. “So, what kind of tunes do you play?”

“Wanna sample?” Nino asked. Adrien nodded. “Then let’s kick it!” He started playing. Adrien was liking it. He attempted to dance, but Nino started laughing. “I’m sorry dude! It’s just I’ve never seen someone who dances that badly before.”

Adrien shrugged. “Sorry?” he said. “I only know how to do formal steps.”

“I mean, that’s impressive in its own right. I can’t do that” Nino said. “Say, why don’t we teach each other? You teach me some formal dance moves, and I’ll teach you how to dance more casually.”

Adrien nodded. “Sounds good.” They spent the rest of the afternoon trying to teach each other how to dance. Both were inexperienced, so it was a tough challenge. But they did have fun.

“Man, I had a good time here,” Adrien said.

“Me too,” Nino said. “I can’t remember the last time I smiled this hard.” Nino checked the time. “Oh, um, you should go. The club’s going to open soon.”

Adrien was confused. “Ummmm, OK? I was planning on it anyway I’ve got something to do.” Adrien left. “Later!” Nino waived back at him. _That was weird. It seemed like he wanted me out of there._ Adrien called his bodyguard and he came to pick him up to go home.

Adrien went to his room. He went to his computer and began typing away. “Hey Marinette! So, you’re asking how I know you’re Ladybug. Here goes.

Fact number one: Artists love signing their name. Of course, you have your ‘LB’ insignia, but there’s another bit I’ve been able to pick up on. Let’s use this derby hat.” He pulled up a picture of a derby hat. “The design on the side is very sleek and stunning. However, turn it upside down…” the image is now upside down “…and it clearly spells out Marinette. So Ladybug’s name must be Marinette!

Fact number two: When I caught you looking at me, I asked about it at school. They told me your name was Marinette. It could be a coincidence that you and Ladybug shared a name, but then we get to the last bit. Fact number three: My father contacted me after school yesterday. He told me Ladybug saw me and was inspired to design some Back to School clothes. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but a Marinette saw me, and a Ladybug made clothes for me. What do you think?”

Adrien waited for her reply. Would she deny it? Would she just not say anything? After a few minutes, Marinette sent a reply.

“Curse your handsome good looks and irresistible charm! I wasn’t planning on sending him anything yet, but you being there, ready to take on school life inspired me so! You’re magic, you know that?”

Adrien smiled. “So, how does it feel that someone knows who you are?”

Marinette responded. “I don’t know. I never expected it to happen so soon, if ever.”

“I getcha. Now, I have a question for you. I’ve been told that you’re a ruthless bully who bullied Lila so much that you got kicked out of school. But I have my doubts. For one thing, you’re Ladybug. Your designs are amazingly heartfelt. I can’t imagine someone could do that if they had no heart to speak of.”

“So, you really wanna know what happened? Pretty much everything out of Lila’s mouth is a lie. She does this to control the class to her whims. I found out right away. However, going against her turned out to be dangerous, as she had everyone else under her thumb. She turned all of my friends against me, saying I was jealous of her.

I was eventually kicked out of school after an incident in which I was accused of stealing a necklace of hers. They found it in my locker, but I know Lila planted it there. No one believed me. I felt alone. My parents tried to fight it, but it was the school’s word against theirs.

Eventually, I gave up and accepted my defeat. When I got home that night I cried my eyes out until I fell asleep.

I cooped myself up in my room and made do. I only went out to eat or go to the bathroom. I took online classes to continue studying, and I continued drawing. Drawing felt like a haven for me. It’s the one thing Lila couldn’t take away from me. It was my salvation.

I’m sorry I got so wordy about all of this. It’s just, this is the first time anyone besides my parents was willing to believe me about this. It kind of felt good.”

Adrien read each word over; his face growing more horrified with each passing word. “How? How could someone do something like this?” he asked himself.

He quickly replied. “Sorry to hear about that. And it’s OK. If you ever want to talk about anything, you have my email. I can also give you some other ways of contacting me as well.”

Marinette replied. “That seems nice.”

Adrien got serious. “From my limited interactions with Lila, something did seem a bit off. It kind of felt like she was in control. Or at least wanted to be. It also felt weird that going to your parents bakery is off-limits. Lucky for me, I could use the ‘I’m new’ excuse to get out of trouble.”

“Oh no, she caught you? Yeah, that whole thing is just part of her petty revenge against me as well. She wants to ruin my family financially as well to make them give up the bakery, so she’s forbidding anyone she can from going there.

It’s the reason I became Ladybug. My parents were having trouble making ends meet with the lack of customers, and it just so happens a salon owner came by and wanted to know about the design of the shop’s sign. I overheard this, as it was one of the rare instances I left my room. I discreetly let my parents know I would design something for them. You know, to make a little extra money. Some good publicity later, and I became ‘Ladybug: Renowned designer of mystery.’ It helped because with all of my designs and the fees I get, we can stay afloat.

I know it sounds crazy, but it’s really the truth! Lila just wants to see me in complete ruin. You have to believe me. To be honest, I was kind of hoping Gabriel could do a shoot for the Bakery to get its numbers up, but now that they’ve caught you, I guess that would only ruin you. What good am I if I’m only going to bring you down?”

Adrien was furious. If Marinette was telling the truth, Lila was a monster. But Lila seemed nice enough on the outset. Still, everyone was acting weird about things. Adrien needed a way to push things further without arousing suspicion himself. He looked down at his drawer, and then got an idea.

“Don’t worry. I have an idea to help your parents out.” He opened the drawer and saw the mask and gloves. _Just because I can’t be seen at the bakery, doesn’t mean I can’t go._

The next morning, he got prepared. He got all of his school supplies, as well as his fencing equipment. In his fencing bag he stashed his costume, as well as a note. He had breakfast, and left for school.

Adrien got there before school started. He made his way to the locker room and managed to hide in there. He grabbed his costume and got changed. “Now for the tricky part.” He had to be sure not to be seen in school. Luckily, he had experience at hiding from rowdy crowds, and to a lesser extent, Chloe. He made his moves carefully and wound up outside with anyone noticing.

Once he was outside, he made his way to the other side of the street, also not getting noticed. “Now, the coup de grace.” As much as Adrien knew how to avoid attention he also knew how to attract it when needed. He started walking calmly out of the shadows, making some subtle noises to attract initial attention.

Thankfully, some onlookers took the bait. They saw the mysterious figure that had been all over the news yesterday. They kept their distance though, as they didn’t know if this figure was friend or foe. Adrien looked at all of this and smiled.

He then entered the bakery. Marinette’s parents were surprised by this figure. He took out a note and said it to them. They looked at it. It was a typed note that read “I’d like to try a croissant please.” Adrien decided that the note was the best way, since they might recognize his voice.

Marinette parents were confused. But they gave it to him. He paid for it and left the shop. Now, there was a larger crowd gathering around him. All he had to do was work for the audience. He took a bite of the croissant, smiled, and gave a thumbs up.

With that, a few people tried to storm him. Luckily, this wasn’t his first go-around with people like this. He quickly ran. He stayed close by to get back to school, but made it look like he was running farther.

He managed to sneak back into school, and put away his disguise. He gathered his things and headed to class. He looked in and saw everyone on their phones, all looking at the same thing. The footage of this figure going to the bakery they resented so much. Adrien smiled. _Worked like a charm!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are. The game is afoot. Marinette and Adrien are holding conversations. Adrien has heard what Marinette has to say about Lila, and Adrien sees some truth in that. And now, Adrien is forcing Lila's hand. Everyone's next move dictates a lot.


	4. Masks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I said that starting something now would make the initial updating cycle last longer last time, but thinking about it now, that might not be the case. I have other things I want to get to. I do like this story though, and I do want to continue. I'm just unsure of the update cycle for a bit.

By lunch that day, word about this mysterious figure heading into the bakery and buying something had spread like wildfire. Adrien checked online to see what people were saying. He smiled, reading that a lot of people were going to check out the place visited by this figure.

Adrien decided to look through an article posted about this. “‘Honestly, he just came in and ordered someone’ said Sabine Cheng, who along with her husband, Tom Dupain, runs the bakery. ‘Business has been booming since then. People have been asking why this mysterious figure came here, and I tell them we have no idea either. They’re usually kind enough to buy something afterward.’”

Adrien smiled. He then heard Alya exclaim “Pleeeeeeeease!” He turned around and saw Alya talking to Lila. “I’ve gotta know for myself. I promise I won’t even buy anything.”

Adrien looked at Lila. She looked stern. Not like someone who was about to break down because of a traumatic experience, but more like someone who lost a vital chess piece. She smiled for a second, sighed, and said “Oh, alright Alya. I know how passionate you are about this kind of thing.”

“Yes!” Alya said. She hugged Lila. “Thank you!” Lila looked at Adrien. He put on a silly grin and waived. Lila waived back. He turned back around.

_Lila’s definitely up to something. She relented quite easily for someone who thinks even going to her parent’s bakery is traumatic. Now that it’s become the talk of the town, she has no choice but to let it go. At least somewhat. Still, I better play it safe. No one seems to know that it’s me, but I can’t let anyone figure that out._

After school, Adrien headed to the lockers. He changed into his fencing gear and met up in the courtyard. He walked up to Mr. D’Argencourt. “Ah, Adrien! I’m so glad you could join us.”

“My pleasure” Adrien responded.

“Alright, listen up!” he said, talking to everyone else in the class. “This is Adrien Agreste. He is one of my star pupils. From here on, he is joining us for class today.”

All of the other students clapped. All except one. “HEY!” shouted a student wearing a red fencing uniform. “If he’s one of your star pupils, let’s see how he holds up!” They pointed at Adrien. “I challenge you!”

“Part le fer!” Mr. D’Argencourt said.

“It’s OK Mr. D'Argencourt,” Adrien said. He turned to this mysterious combatant. “On my honor, I accept your challenge!”

Everyone was shocked. “Adrien, you don’t have to do this,” Mr. D’Argencourt said.

“It’s OK,” Adrien said again. “I get it. They want to see if I’m worth being called your pupil. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down.”

Mr. D’Argencourt smiled and nodded. “Very well. Positions!” Adrien and this red challenger got ready and faced off. “En Guard! Pret…Allez!” Adrien and this person clashed. From the instant their sabres met, Adrien could tell they meant business. Of course, so did Adrien.

The duel continued. It appeared they were evenly matched at every turn. Adrien had never heard a referee call “Abstention!” so many times. He thought it was funny.

He was also very captivated by this mystery combatant. Adrien could tell their skill was finely honed. Still, Adrien had no intention of letting them win. He pushed on.

Eventually, both of them were running low on breath. “So, ready to call it?” Adrien asked. The red-suited student just yelled and went in for one last attempt. Adrien focused. He then went in as well. _Attack! Perry! Riposte! Counterattack!_ Adrin demonstrated his skill, and Mr. D’Argencourt called the match in his favor.

The rest of the class surrounded him and cheered him on. Adrien felt good. He’d proven his worth. He then spotted his opponent. They seemed frustrated with themselves. He broke free of the crowd and chased them down. “Hey” he said, getting their attention. “Good match. You’re an excellent fencer.”

The other fencer gripped their sabre tightly. “You’re in Lila’s class, right?”

“Um, yeah?” Adrien said.

“…What do you think of her?”

Adrien wasn’t sure how to answer. Did they want the truth? Or did they want the answer that Lila would like. He didn’t want to overplay his hand just yet, so he just said “I’ve only just met her. But she seems alright.”

The fencer scoffed. “You’re just as bad as the rest of them,” they said, walking off.

_That may have been the wrong move._

While all of this was happening, Alya set foot in the Dupain-Cheng Bakery for the first time in a long time. “Alya!” Sabine said. “It’s been such a long time!”

Alya stood still for a minute. It felt weird for her to be here. She looked at the faces of people she thought she detested and saw nothing but smiles. “Hi.” she said awkwardly.

“What brings you here?” Sabine asked.

Alya had to remain focused. She took a deep breath, and said “I’m here because I want to investigate that mysterious figure.”

“Oh right,” Sabine said. “I remember you had an affinity for this kind of thing.”

Alya got out her notepad. “Tell me everything!”

“Well, he just came in here and ordered a croissant,” Sabine said. “There’s not much to it. Sorry to disappoint you.”

Alya continued to be flustered by their kindness. Still, she maintained her composure. “What did he sound like?”

“I don’t know,” Sabine said. “He just gave use a note.”

Alya was now intrigued. “A note? May I see it?”

“Certainly dear,” Sabine said. She showed the note to Alya.

Alya didn’t find anything new with the note, since it was typed out. “What did he look like.”

“Well, you’ve seen the pictures,” Sabine said.

“Yeah, but you got to meet him up close!” Alya said. “Did you notice anything?”

“Um, well, not really…” Sabine said. “I was just so surprised that they showed up at all. Everything happened so fast.”

“I see,” Alya said. “Thanks anyway. Later!”

“Wait!” Tom said. Alya turned around. “Here. Have a brownie. Your favorite!”

Alya was completely caught off guard. “Oh no, I can’t,” she said nervously. “I promised I wouldn’t buy anything…”

“It’s on the house,” Tom said. “You haven’t been here in so long. I want you to have it.”

Alya looked them over. Why were they being so kind to her after she showed them nothing but contempt? Still, between the free food and the smiling faces, Alya couldn’t say no. She took the brownie and said “Thanks.”

“No problem!” Tom said.

“Have a good day!” Sabine said.

Alya left. She took a bite of her brownie. She was in awe. She had forgotten how good they had tasted and why they were her favorite. He then went to the park to gather her thoughts.

Adrien was leaving school after fencing. He spotted Alya in the park and decided to meet up with her. “Hey Alya,” he said.

Alya looked up surprised. “Oh. Hey Adrien. What are you doing here?”

“I just got done with fencing,” Adrien said. “What about you?”

“Oh.I just got back from my investigation at the bakery,” Alya said. She took another bite of her brownie.

Adrien was puzzled. “I thought you promised Lila you wouldn’t buy anything.”

“Yeah… They kind of gave it to me for free” Alya said. “Don’t tell Lila.”

Adrien sat down next to her. “Wouldn’t dream of it. So, what did you find?”

Alya looked at her notes. “Not much,” she said. “However, this mysterious figure used a note to order their croissant.”

“Huh” Adrien said. “I wonder why.”

“My guess is that they thought the owners would recognize them if they said anything,” Alya said.

“I see,” Adrien said. “But if they thought they would be recognized, why go at all?”

“Well, maybe they were hungry,” Alya said. “I mean, wouldn’t you go there if you were close by?”

“Well, no…” Adrien said, nervously. “I was told that I shouldn’t be doing that.”

Alya looked at him like she got a realization. “You’re right!” she exclaimed, standing up. “The figure did look to be around our age! Maybe it’s someone who wanted to go there, but didn’t want to disrespect Lila!”

_Whoa! Alya’s really perceptive. I need to slow her down before she figures it out._ “But, if that’s the case, why go at all? If they wanted to hide themselves because they knew about Lila and Marinette’s history, they knew it would be disrespectful to go in regardless.”

Alya thought about that. “Oh yeah” she sat back down. “I thought I had something for a second.” She smiled. “Still, there must be a reason. And I will figure it out!”

“You sound really excited,” Adrien noted.

“Are you not?” Alya asked. “Paris could have its very own hero! How awesome is that?!”

“Right. You like heroes” Adrien said. “May I ask why you’re so enthusiastic about them?”

“Of course” Alya said. “It’s because they fight for justice. They fight bad guys and win, showing that good will triumph over evil! I like it because it doesn’t always seem to be the case in the real world.”

“I see,” Adrien said. He thought about that last part. Marinette’s current situation seemed to attest to that fact.

“They present an ideal!” Alya continued. “One I want to live up to! I want to be on the side of justice, and expose those who would hurt people for their own personal gain!”

“Well, it is a lovely ideal,” Adrien said, “and I do want to live up to it as well, but you have to remember, no one’s perfect.”

Alya looked at him. “Right. I know that.” She sighed. “Today has been really weird.”

“How come?” Adrien said.

Alya put her hands on her chin. “Well, when I went over to the bakery, Mr. Dupain and Mrs. Cheng were very nice to me. I expected them to be more upset with me. They insist Marinette did nothing wrong, and I’ve treated them as bad people, yet they smiled and remained polite. They were even nice to me. I just don’t get it.”

Adrien smiled. “Well, that gets into something I like about heroes” he said Alya looked at him. “A hero fights for justice, yes, but a hero also understands kindness. To me, a hero is someone who shows kindness, even to those that have wronged them.”

Alya smiled. “You’re right Adrien. I guess they were being heroic in their own way.” Her face turned grim. But that doesn’t excuse how Marinette treated Lila.”

Adrien’s face grew serious. “I know.” _Whatever happened must have been pretty big if Marinette is being treated like this._

Alya relaxed a little. “I’m sorry. It’s been fun talking with you. But I’ve gotta go! I’ve gotta go make a fansite for Cat Noir!”

Adrien blinked. “Cat Noir?”

Alya chuckled. “That’s what I’m going to call this mysterious figure! He wears all black and has that cat mask. So I figured Cat Noir would suit him. Later!” She ran off.

Adrien stood up as well and contacted his bodyguard. He then smiled and said “‘Cat Noir’, huh? I kind of like that.”

At home, Adrien went to his computer. He checked his email and saw Marinette had sent him an email. “Today has been crazy at the bakery! People have come from all over Paris to see the place visited by the mysterious figure! We’ve gotten more customers in a day than we have all month! All this to say, sorry that mysterious figure beat you to the punch. I’m sure your idea would have helped the store too.”

Adrien giggles to himself. He got out his mask, put it on, took a photo and sent it with the caption “I dunno. I think my plan was a huge success.”

Marinette responded. “That was YOU?! You’re that mysterious figure going around?!”

“Yup. Sorry I had to paint over your mask.”

“Wait, was that the mask from the failed glam rock thing painted black? You kept it?”

“I keep all your designs that aren’t used. I still like them, and I think they’re good. They just don’t always match…me.”

“Yeah. I had wanted to use it for an actual band, but it didn’t seem to match up with any artist I could contact.”

“You know, the reason I was dressed up like that was to send you that initial note and not get caught. Who knows what would have happened if that passer-by saw famous model Adrien Agreste walking around at night without his parent’s permission?”

“You came to see me without your parent’s permission?! Why?!”

“I wanted to meet Ladybug. Simple as that. And since I know your secret identity, I think it’s only fair you know mine.”

“I didn’t know you could be such a dork sometimes. But thanks. I’ve…actually enjoyed talking to you.”

“Well, that’s understandable. You’ve been held up in your room for quite some time. Any interaction would be good.”

“You say that, but I’d rather be alone than with the people who cast me away. Which at this point feels like the whole world. Except for my parents. And you.”

Adrien looked at that response. He couldn’t imagine how she feels. It seemed almost nightmarish. To rather be alone than with people? Adrien lived alone for a long time. He didn’t want anyone to feel that alone.

He responded. “Well, it might not just be us. I had fencing today, and it seemed like there was this other person in it who didn’t like Lila.”

“Oh. You mean Kagami. She and Lila argue all the time. But I think it’s kind of a status thing more than anything. See, Kagami comes from a prestigious family of world-class fencers, and Lila is the daughter of a diplomat. Their rivalry seems to be about who has more connections and stuff like that.”

Adrien thought about it. That didn’t sit right with him. Kagami’s apparent disdain for Lila didn’t seem to stem from this status argument. After all, Adrien didn’t know of her apparent status until just now.

Adrien typed back “Well, I’ll try and talk to her. Maybe we can expose Lila’s lies and you can come out of hiding.”

“That’s sweet, but I’m fine here. And I do go out. Just in disguise.”

“Wait! You go out?”

“I don’t talk to people all that much, but yes. I mostly go out to get inspiration. It doesn’t always just walk in front of your bedroom window, you know.”

Adrien was stunned.”Well, if that’s the case, I’d like to meet up with you some time.”

Adrien waited for a reply for minutes. Once he got it, it was clear Marinette was flustered. “I’ll think about it.”

“You do that. Meanwhile, I’ll think about a way to get you out. I know you say you’re fine being alone, but I’ve been alone most of my life. Trust me, it’s not fun.”

“Alright. It seems like I can’t stop you on this. But I‘m fine. Really. I’ll let you know if we can meet when I go out next. I’ll talk with you later. Good night.”

“Good night.” Adrien sat back a little. Everything was set. He knew Lila was lying. He knew someone on the outside who could help, provided he could win them over. And he knew he had to break Marinette free. “I’m sure what she went through was painful, but being essentially alone will end up being a lot worse. So I’ll try to help in any way I can. I must. For her.”


	5. Positions of Power

The next day at school, Adrien was pondering how to get in contact with Kagami. He didn’t know what she looked like outside of her fencing gear. He knew she wasn’t in his class, but that didn’t help much. He looked to his side. He smiled. Perhaps someone in his class could provide some insight.

He walked to Chloe. “Hey Chloe. Can I talk with you for a second?”

Chloe was shocked. “Sure Adrien. What do you want to talk about?”

“Well, I had my first fencing class with people yesterday,” Adrien said. “This one person, Kagami, challenged me, and we had a well fought battle. She then asked me my opinion of Lila, and seemed upset at me when I said I liked her. I was told by someone that it might be a status thing that the two don’t get along.”

Chloe was confused. “What is the point of all of this?””

“Well, as people of status ourselves, I’m worried that we might not get along with Lila,” Adrien said. “I don’t want that. I’m just starting to get to know her.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that, Adrien,” Lila said. Chloe and Adrien turned to meet her gaze. “I couldn’t help but overhear. I’m sorry.”

Chloe then stuttered “I-it’s OK Lila.” Adrien looked at her puzzled. He’d never seen Chloe act like that before. He turned back to Lila.

“It’s true that both Kagami and I have some notoriety,” Lila explained, “but the reason we’re feuding is because she believes I don’t have the same level of prestige as her, and thinks I’m not worthy of the ground she walks on. But it’s OK. She doesn’t bother me too much.”

“I see…” Adrien said.

“To be honest, she may be right,” Lila said. “She comes from a long line of wonderful fencers. I’m just a diplomat’s daughter. Sure, it has its benefits, but I didn’t do anything to earn the level of status I have now.”

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Adrien said. “You have every right to be where you are.”

Lila smiled. “Thanks Adrien. You sure have a knack for making people smile.”

“Well, I like seeing people smile, so it works out well for me,” Adrien said.

Lila giggled. “Like I said, you don’t need to worry. You’re so kind and wonderful. I know we’ll get along just fine.”

Adrien smiled. “I’m relieved to hear that. Hey, by the way. I know this is going to sound kind of odd, but you wouldn’t happen to know Kagami’s last name, would you?” Lila seemed confused. “It’s just, you say she comes from a line of fencers. As a fencer myself, I would want to know about such a prestigious fencing family.”

Lila smiled. “Of course. It’s Tsurugi.”

“Thanks,” Adrien said.

“Don’t mention it,” Lila said. She walked off.

Adrien was about to do the same, when he felt a tug. He turned back to see Chloe grab onto his shirt. “Hey…can I come over today?” she said in the meekest voice Adrien had ever heard.

Adrien was surprised, but then said “Sure Chloe. I’ve got to practice piano, but I think I’ll be fine.”

Chloe smiled. “Thanks.”

Adrien walked off. He looked up the Tsurugis and found some interesting information. “Woah! I’ve actually heard about them. I didn’t know I was facing off against her!” He looked at her picture. He now knew what she looked like.

“So” Alya said from behind, startling Adrien. “Are you checking out my Cat Noir fansite?”

“What?” Adrien said. “Oh, right. Um, no. But I can now…. Um, how do I find it?”

“I sent you an email about it this morning!” Alya said.

“Oh. Sorry” Adrien said. “I was distracted by something else.”

Alya smiled. “It’s OK. I get it. You were probably busy.”

Adrien checked it out. He looked at Alya. “‘Noir Notes: A Cat Noir Fan Blog’?” Alya seemed worried. “I like it.” Alya was relieved. Adrien continued looking through it. Alya’s very good at web design. The website had plenty of speculation, but Adrien was more curious about the known sightings section. He gave them a look through.

“Not much is known about the first sighting of Cat Noir. He appeared walking around at night. However, we can tell he wasn’t aware of his surroundings. He has the demeanor of someone walking casually, but with a purpose. What this purpose is, if there is one, has yet to be determined.”

_Alya’s really good._

“Cat Noir’s second appearance was at the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He stopped in, bought a croissant, and ate it in front of a crowd. Cat Noir’s movements here appear to be a bit more deliberate. Why this is the case has yet to be fully determined, but this reporter has an idea.

According to other sources, the bakery had been struggling to stay afloat in recent times, and the recent attention brought on by Cat Noir appeared to have saved the bakery from financial ruin. It might be possible that Cat Noir knew about this, but this is only speculation.

Cat Noir also appeared to be cautious. He delivered a note written on a computer. It seems that whoever Cat Noir is, speaking aloud would give him away to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. However, the bakery refuses to hand out personal information about their customers, so there’s no telling who it could be.”

Adrien was stunned at the detail Alya was able to get. _If I continue, it’s not a question of if she’s going to find me out, just a matter of when. Hopefully she doesn’t figure it out too quickly. However, if I can wait it out long enough, maybe I can tell her about everything without her getting upset, or her spilling it to everyone._

Adrien smiled at Alya. “This is a great website.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I’m so PUMPED! I wonder when he’ll show up next!”

After school, Adrien looked around to see if he could find Kagami. He found her practicing with a kendo stick in the park. Sitting on the bench beside her appeared to be her mother, who according to Adrien’s research was named Tomoe. Adrien casually approached them. “Hello.”

Kagami turned to him. “Hello Adrien,” she said with contempt.

“Adrien?” her mother said. “You’re the boy who bested my Kagami yesterday?”

Adrien nodded. “Kagami put up an incredible fight.”

“Try to refrain from nodding, or any other visual cues,” Kagami said. “My mother is blind.”

“Oh, sorry” Adrien said.

Tomoe smiled. “It’s OK. I could tell. You must have remarkable skill yourself.”

“Thank you,” Adrien said. “I did some research and I saw that you are a great fencer as well.”

“Why thank you” she said. “It is an honor to be recognized by someone as talented as yourself. Or as you kids say nowadays, `game recognizes game’.”

Adrien giggled. Kagami rolled her eyes. “Um, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk to Kagami for a little bit.”

“Of course” said Tomoe. “I was feeling a bit peckish right about now. The bakery close by is the one everyone’s talking about, right? I want to see what the commotion is all about.”

“It is,” Adrien said. “I’ve had their cookies. They taste great.”

“Thank you,” she said. “By the way, don’t take Kagami’s apparent disliking of you personally. She’s just not used to losing is all.” She took her leave.

“What do you want?” Kagami said.

Adrien turned to her. “I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot.”

“Like my mother said, I don’t hate you because you beat me,” Kagami said. “In fact, I thank you. You’ve given me a goal. One day, I will beat you.”

“I can’t wait,” Adrien said. “But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about Lila.”

Kagami froze. She grew stern. “You mean that liar?”

 _There it is again._ “Yeah. I have to apologize. I didn’t know how you felt about Lila. However, I’ve also heard from someone I’m willing to believe that Lila is a liar as well. If that was true, and I said I’m wanting to plot against her to someone who was on her side, I might end up on the receiving end of Lila’s lies, and I don’t want that. I was being cautious.”

Kagami was stunned. “How do I know you’re telling the truth? Who is your source?”

 _I can’t tell her it’s Marinette because that might reveal she’s Ladybug. That’s the only reason I know Lila’s lying after all._ “My source wishes to remain anonymous,” he said. “But they have similar goals.”

“I see,” Kagami said. She looked stern.

“I understand your hesitation,” Adrien said. “But have you heard the adage ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’? It’s kind of like that. Of course, we don’t have to be friends if you don’t want to be. I just want help to take Lila down.”

Kagami grinned. “The fact that you would call her your enemy tells me your intentions clearly.”

Adrien responded with his own grin. “So, from what everyone else says, the reason you and Lila don’t get along is because of a status war, but I’m guessing that’s not the case. You decided not to wave your status when we battled yesterday. Even if I didn’t know Lila was lying already, that would have tipped me off.”

Kagami relaxed a little. “You’ve got that right. I couldn’t care less about status. The reason I don’t get along with Lila is because she uses her status to manipulate people into doing what she wants.”

Adrien was surprised. “Manipulate?”

“Yeah,” Kagami said. “She uses her lies to create the idea in people’s heads that she’s the most important person in the world. She doesn’t want people to be happy without her influence.”

Adrien had a moment of realization. He thought back to moments that seemed odd that made sense with this information. First, there was when Lila said “Well, Alya can get a bit carried away at times. It’s usually my job to keep her grounded.”

Then when Nino said “I can’t remember the last time I smiled this hard.”

He then thought about how Chloe was acting today. “I-it’s OK Lila.”

He looked determined. “Thank you Kagami. Now I know what I need to do. Um, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got plans this afternoon. Seeya!”

Adrien was about to leave, but Kagami shouted “HEY!” Adrien turned back around. Kagami pointed her kendo stick at him. “If you really want to take her down, I need to know your convictions are strong.”

“What do you have in mind?” Adrien asked.

“I want you to come to fencing every week!” she demanded. “I need you to show me your resolve! I need to know you won’t give up! I need to know you will improve! So that when we battle again, I will see the results of your training!”

Adrien smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“What’s going on?” Kagami’s mother said, returning from her trip.

Adrien looked at her and said “We’ve just agreed to be sparing partners from now on.”

“If I want to improve, I need to see how the person who beat me did it!” Kagami said.

Tomoe smiled. “Wonderful! You have the spirit of a true warrior.”

“Thank you,” said Adiren. “Well, I need to get going. I’m expecting company.

“Goodbye,” Tomoe said.

“Heh. Get ready!” Kagami said.

“Don’t worry. I will” Adrien said. His bodyguard came and picked him up, and he went home.

Adrien practiced his piano. Chloe was there with him watching. Once Adrien finished, Chloe applauded. “Very good, as usual,” she said.

“Thanks,” Adrien replied. “So, why did you want to come over?”

“Oh, well, it’s because we haven’t hung out in such a long time,” Chloe said.

“I see. How are you feeling?”

“Um, great?! Honestly, why is that even a question?”

Adrien decided not to push it further. _Of course, it’s hard to get Chloe to admit a weakness without definitive proof. It’s like pulling teeth. I need to figure out what Lila has on her before I ask her about it._

Adrien smiled. “So, who’s that girl that sits next to you?”

“Oh, her?” Chloe said. “Her name is Sabrina. She’s my best friend. Aside from you, of course.”

“It’s OK Chloe, you don’t have to lie in front of me. You know that.”

Chloe smiled. “You’re too kind.” She sighed. “To be honest, I don’t know if she would say the same. I don’t treat her the best. She does all of this stuff for me, and yet, I treat her like my own personal servant. She says she doesn’t mind, and at first I didn’t either, but…”

 _This is odd. Maybe this has to do with how Lila’s manipulating her._ “You should bring her over next time.”

Chloe was surprised. “You’d do that?”

“Of course” Adrien said. “I’ll take whatever company I can get .”

“Oh stop!” Chloe said. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Adrien said. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Well, out of what you’ll let me, it has been a while…” Chloe said.

“I see… say no more” Adrien said. He went to his shelf, picked out a DVD, put it in, and the two started watching Ponyo. They first watched it together in theaters with their parents, and it quickly became a staple of whenever they hung out.

Once it was over, Chloe exclaimed “I don’t care how many times I see it, Ponyo never gets old.”

“Right,” Adrien said.

Chloe looked at him and said “Thanks. Today has been great.”

“Anytime” Adrien said.

“Well, I guess I should get going” Chloe said. “See you at school! Oh man, I love that I can say that!”

“And I love that it’s true,” Adrien said. “Seeya.” Chloe left. Adrien excitedly made his way to the computer to check if Marinette got back to him yet. To his delight, she had.

“OK. So I’ve decided that you can meet with me in my next inspiration hunting session this weekend. Provided you can find me.”

“Awe, that’s not fair. The only thing I know about you is that you have bluebell eyes.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you hints. I’ll be around the Arc de Triomphe on Saturday at about noon. I’ll be in disguise, but you should recognize me from my personal good luck charm.”

“That’s not very helpful. How am I supposed to know it’s you? I even have one of your charms.”

“Not that charm. This one is something you would recognize right away. It will look out of place if the weather’s nice.”

“Hmmmm. Very well. I will (hopefully) see you Saturday.”

“I hope I don’t regret this.”

“Trust me. You won’t. You wouldn’t have offered if some part of you didn’t want to talk in person.”

“I guess that’s true. But I still like how things have been for the most part.”

“Well, you’ve agreed to meet me. I’ll take whatever victories I can get.”

“Good night Adrien.”

“Good night Marinette.”

Adrien spent the rest of the week getting to know the rest of the class. They were all really wonderful, but Adrien knew Lila had her hold on them. He knew that if he was going to weaken Lila’s power, he’d have to figure out what Lila had on each of them, and do it one by one.

Saturday had arrived. He got out of bed excitedly and got ready. As he was eating breakfast, Nathalie walked in. “You’re up awfully early for a Saturday.”

“Well, I’m meeting one of my friends at the Arc de Triomphe” Adrien retorted. “Is that alright?”

Nathalie smiled. “I think that’s fine. Just please consider slowing down when eating your breakfast. You can’t meet your friend if you’re choking.”

“Right” Adrien chuckled. He continued to eat breakfast. Once he was finished, he grabbed his bag, and headed out.

Once he had arrived, Adrien began his frantic search at the Arc. _She said it was something I would recognize, and it would look out of place if the weather’s nice._ He looked at the sky. _The weather seems to be pretty nice. So let’s keep searching._

Adrien kept looking, determined to find his isolated princess. Plenty of people were sketching, but none of them had something like Marinette had described. Then he saw her. She was wearing a large green coat and a tan newsboy hat. And right beside her was her personal lucky charm. “No way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of wondering if I should change the title. It still kind of applies, but this is turning out a bit differently than when I was first thinking of the story. I tend to jump into these things headfirst. Although now that things are more solidifying, I do have a better idea of where this story is going. I also know that this might take longer than I had anticipated. I really jumped without a net on this one, but hopefully it works out. It seems to be so far. Thanks everyone.


	6. Personal Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually seriously considering bumping this up to T. That's something I might actually do on my own volition. When I was talking about the name change, I was kind of hoping for some input. I think I wrote around some of the more T stuff alright, but I'm not sure I can keep it up without it sounding weird. Although, I'm not 100% sure the ratings have concrete meaning anyway. They're good for categorizing, but I doubt that someone is reading to their five-year-old something off of this site. Not that they couldn't, I just don't imagine it happening too much.

He saw her personal good luck charm. He didn’t believe it. Suddenly he remembered. ****

It was months ago. He was at the park for a photoshoot. It suddenly started raining, so the shoot had to be canceled. As he was getting ready to leave he saw a girl leaving the school. She looked miserable, and the rain was only making it worse. He told his bodyguard. “Hold on just a second” and ran over to her. “Hey.” She looked up. “You don’t look so good. Are you alright?”

The girl looked at him. Adrien saw the look on her face. It was beyond sadness. Like all emotion had drained from her. “It’s fine,” she said.

Adrien was taken aback. “I don’t mean to be rude, but things don’t look fine.” She looked at him. Adrien assumed that she was trying to glare at him, but couldn’t because she was too distraught. “Well, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. But here. You should at least have an umbrella. My car’s right there, and I can afford a new one.” He left. Before he got in, he turned back and told her “I hope things get better soon.” He smiled and got in his car and drove off.

Now Adrien saw that very same umbrella next to this artist sketching everything around her. He walked up to her. “Um, hi” he said, trying to hide his flushed face.

She turned around to see him. He got a good look at her face. She looked sad. “You know, part of me was hoping you wouldn’t be able to find me.”

He sat down next to her. “If I’d have known it was you… well, I don’t know what I would have done, but I would have done something.”

She looked at him and gave the slightest smile. “Thanks. You know, I’m surprised you even remember that day.”

He smiled. “Well, it’s not every day I get to see someone like that. Well, at least, that’s how it used to be. Still, I didn’t expect to see that umbrella to be used as someone’s good luck charm.”

Marinette got sad again. “Yeah, well, life is odd like that.” She took hold of the umbrella. “That day was the day I got expelled. Everyone else was angry with me. They all hated me. I left school thinking that no one cared about me.” She smiled. “Then you came along. You were the only person who didn’t yell at me, or speak to me condescendingly all day. And then you gave me this. Imagine. A girl who lost everything being given something. It gave me hope. It was the light in the darkness. It was my second chance.

I was still feeling blue afterwards, don’t get me wrong. In fact, I still feel terrible. But when you gave me this, I knew I had to at least try to keep going. Even if the world won’t be on my side, I know that someone like you would be.” She groaned. “That sounded stupid.”

“No no, I understand, completely” Adrien said. “To be honest, I’m seeing the world for the first time, so I can’t say if the world is really against you. I know one person is, but we’ll make sure to expose her. Then you can come back to the world.”

Marinette looked both happy and sad. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but really, I’m fine. I’ll just live out my days in my room. Away from a world that clearly doesn’t want me.”

“Don’t say that!” Adrien said, angry and sad. Marinette looked at him. “You have a place in this world. You’re making so many people happy.”

“Yeah, but I’m doing it from my room,” Marinette said.

“Well, you’re out here now, aren’t you?” Adrien asked.

Marinette looked at the ground underneath her. “Yeah, but I can’t even take two steps outside without gripping this umbrella. How do you expect me to go back, even if you expose the truth about Lila?”

“Marinette” Adrien said, grabbing her shoulders. “I promise. Even if things seem bleak right now, cutting yourself off from the rest of the world isn’t the answer.”

“Oh what do you know about that?!”

“I’ve lived like that all my life!” Adrien snapped back. Marinette noticed tears forming in his eyes. “Trust me. The pain of being alone is unbearable.”

“Well, what about your parents? Your compatriots at work? Chloe?” she asked.

Tears started slipping down Adrien’s face. “My parents are busy. I know they love me, but they can’t be there for me every day. Any contacts I have at work are just there to work, no matter how fun it is interacting with them. And Chloe has a life outside of her room. She has other friends, and other things to do.

Meanwhile, I’ve sat in my room for the better part of life all by myself. I’ve had people to talk to, but I’ve always felt alone, or at least distant.” He wiped the tears out of his eyes. “Being out among people has been great. I’m pushing limits I didn’t even know I had. I’m having a wonderful time in this world of ours, and I’m sure that when you’re ready you will too. I can’t let anyone say that being alone is preferable. Because I know for a fact it’s not.”

“Adrien…” Marinette said. She gave him a hug. Adrien was surprised by this. He was also slightly embarrassed for reasons he could explain to himself. Confused, he hugged her back.

Once the hug was over, she said “I had no idea you felt like that.”

“Well, it kind of all just came out now” Adrien responded. “Look, I know it’s hard.”

“Tell me about it,” Marinette said. “It’s like, what do you do when you look around and find a demon staring back at you?”

“Well, that beats looking around and seeing no one” Adrien said. “Please. Once Lila is exposed, at least consider coming back to the outside world.”

Marinette smiled. “Alright. I’ll do it. But only for you.” She leaned on him, and again, Adrien’s face turned red.

That moment was interrupted when the two of them heard “Let me go!” They got up and ran over, Marinette grabbing the umbrella before moving an inch. They say the voice was coming from Mylene. A shady looking guy neither of them recognized was grabbing her arm.

“Aw, c’mon” the guy said. “We’re conservation buddies, aren’t we?”

“Please! I’m not interested” Mylene protested.

Adrien looked determined. He noticed Marinette trembling. He looked around. “Marinette. Follow me.” Marinette was confused, but followed Adrien. Once the two of them were hidden, Adrien opened his bag. He took out his disguise.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Marinette asked.

“Someone’s in trouble. I can’t let that continue” Adrien said. He finished putting on his disguise. “It’s a good thing I found you. Now I have someone to watch my bag for me.” He rushed out. Marinette tried to stop him, but couldn’t do anything.

They guy was continuing to pressure Mylene into a relationship. Mylene didn’t want anything to do with this guy. Adrien snuck up on him, gesturing Mylene to be quiet as she noticed him. He then tickled the guy.

He started to laugh. He let go of Mylene and swung his fist behind him. Luckily, Adrien was adept enough to dodge it. He ducked under his arm and ran after Mylene. He took her hand and gestured, as if to ask for permission. Mylene nodded, and Adrien started running her away.

“Get back here!” the guy said. He began chasing the two of them. Mylene and Adrien were trying to outrun this guy, but he was catching up quickly. Adrien looked around and saw a police officer. He quickly ran the two of them close to the officer.

Once they got to him, the officer looked down at them. “Hey, don’t I know you? You go to school with my daughter. And you? Aren’t you that Cat Noir person everyone is talking about?”

Adrien got nervous. Mylene looked back to see the boy was still after them. “Officer, you have to help me! That boy has been harassing me into becoming his girlfriend.”

The officer looked at the boy and noticed a few things off about his demeanor. “I see. Follow me” he said. The officer led Mylene back to his car while calling something on his walkie talkie.

The boy noticed this and said “Hey! Get back here!” He was about to give chase, but was stopped by Adrien. “You! You Cat Noir punk! I’ll take you down!” He raised his fist in the air to punch, but then a different officer came by and got a hold of it. “Huh?”

“You’re coming with me,” the officer said. They arrested him. He screamed something about getting out of it, but Adrien suspected that was a bunch of hot air.

Adrien messaged Marinette. “You still where I left you?

“Yeah. That was crazy! Why’d you do that?”

“She was in trouble. I had to do something.”

“And why did you need to be in costume?”

“Well… that’s just because the costume has gotten a lot of attention, and I hate to disappoint.”

“…You’re crazy, you know that right? Sooner or later this is all going to catch up to you.”

“Did you think of that when you decided to become Ladybug?”

“Well, no…but it did.”

Adrien smiled. He looked around. “Listen, I’ve gotta shake off my audience. I’ll meet you there once I’ve lost them. Seeya in a few.”

Marinette stared at her phone. “Honestly. That boy can be trouble sometimes. But his heart is in the right place.”

A few minutes later, Adrien snuck back to Marinette’s position and started taking off his costume. “Thanks for being here,” he said.

“Well, it’s not like I had any other place to be,” Marinette replied dryly.

“That’s not true,” Adrien said, putting his costume away. “You came out here to do some sketching. You could have gone and done that.”

Marinette smiled. She then got worried. “Like I said earlier, this is all going to catch up to you.”

“Right. I know that” he said. “But hopefully I can control the rate at which it gets out. This ‘Cat Noir’ is something I can use.”

“So, when are you going to tell people?” Marinette asked.

Adrien looked at her, smiled, and said “When you’re ready to tell people you’re Ladybug.”

Marinette was surprised. “What?!”

“Well, the only reason I dressed up like that in the first place was to contact you” Adrien explained. “If someone asked why I was doing this, I might have to explain the whole thing. I wouldn’t want to give away your secret.”

Marinette smiled. “That’s… kind of sweet actually.”

Adrien smiled back. “Come on. I want to watch you work.” The two of them walked back to where they originally were. Marinette got her sketchbook back out and started drawing anything that she fancied, hoping to get her next big idea.

Adrien sat there, watching her work silently. He enjoyed observing her drawing, pondering, and noting every little detail. He felt relaxed. He found this odd, because after years of doing nothing but sitting still, he found that sitting still in this moment was all he wanted. _I wonder why that is? Oh well._ He continued.

When school started the following Monday, Mylene was the center of attention. Adrien glanced over at Lila. _She seems to be taking that well._ He approached Mylen and said “So, I saw that Cat Noir saved you? How did that feel?”

Mylene was flustered. “Well, it was quite shocking. But it was also a little fun.”

“I see,” Adrien said.

“Pffft” said a dismissive voice.

Adrien turned to see Ivan sitting at his desk, unamused by the situation. “Uh, hey Ivan. What’s up?”

Ivan glanced at Adrien. “It’s nothing,” he said, trying to keep his cool. However, that turned out to be an unsuccessful venture, as the next words out of his mouth were “I just wanna smash that Cat’s face.”

_Uh-oh._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of these chapters tend to be shorter than I'm use to doing. I wonder if that's because I want to make this story last longer. Or if it's because I'm preparing for it anyway. I know myself enough to know that anything I can say in five words, I will say in ten. So, just to go over my plans, Adrien has to loosen Lila's grip on the class. While individually, that might take a while, there are intersections that spice things up. Also, he has to keep up the Cat Noir moniker, and possibly use it to his advantage. All of this might take a bit, but I don't imagine it will go on for 70+ chapters like "Are They Worthy?"
> 
> Sorry about the rambling. I hope you've enjoyed today's chapter.


	7. First of Many

Adrien seemed worried. He looked around. Everyone else seemed distraught, but in a shocking way. Ivan sighed. “Sorry…” he said.

“Um, are you OK?” Adrien asked.

Alya came up to him. “It’s OK Adrien. Ivan’s prone to outbursts like that from time to time. He doesn’t mean it, and always apologizes.”

Adrien seemed confused. “Still, it seems weird though…”

“Don’t worry. When this happens, I usually talk to him and things sort out” Lila said.

Adrien got anxious. _Things might get worse if that happens. Maybe they already have. Still, even Lila’s self-aggrandizing has its benefits._ “Um, why don’t I try talking to him?”

“Huh?” Lila said.

“I’ve heard such wonderful things about you. I bet you do it all the time” Adrien said. “Maybe you could take a break. Sometimes, it’s better to view things from a fresh perspective.”

Lila was confused. “Well, he is right…” Alya said. “It wouldn’t hurt. Besides, even if Adrien does mess things up, you can just fix things like you always do.”

“Yeah. Of course” Adrien said. _Thanks for the vote of confidence Alya._ “What do you have to lose?”

Lila was still confused. She took a breath, smiled, and said “You’re right Adrien.”

“Thanks,” Adrien said. He turned back to Ivan. “So, you wanna talk about it?”

Ivan looked up at him. His eyes seemed hopeful. “Not here. After school.”

“Got it,” Adrien said. They took their seats as school started.

After school, Adrien signaled Ivan, and the two went somewhere private. “Sorry about earlier,” Ivan said. “I sometimes have trouble controlling my emotions. You’re new here, so I guess that shocked you even more.”

Adrien smiled. “Don’t worry about it. More importantly, I want to know about that outburst specifically. Why did you say you wanted to punch Cat Noir in the face?” Ivan was shocked. “Because, from the sound of it, it seems like you didn’t want Mylene saved. Now, I don’t think that’s the case, but…”

Ivan growled furiously at himself. “I’m pathetic,” he said. Adrien was taken aback. “I was just jealous. I wanted to be the one to save Mylene.” A blush came across his face.

Adrien seemed to understand immediately. “I see.”

“I just hate that about myself!” Ivan continued. “I’m trying to look for one big thing to impress her, but everything I can think of she wouldn’t like. She startles easily, and doesn’t appreciate some of the more grander gestures to show one’s love. Lila says if I can put my mind to it, I can think of something, but it keeps coming up empty.”

_So, this is how Lila is working Ivan under her thumb. He’s desperate for Mylene, and wants to get her attention. Lila must know everything he’s just told me. However, this seems like an easy fix._

Adrien smiled. “Who says you need to go big?” he asked. Ivan looked surprised at the question. “When I look at my parents, the things they love about each other are all of the little things. My mother loves the way my father gets flustered easily. My father loves my mother’s serene smile. All of those culminate into something bigger than any big gesture you could give each other.”

Ivan had a realization. “You’re right! I love Mylene’s helpfulness! And her determination. And the way she smiles when she’s relaxed. And-” Adrien listed to Ivan list out all of the things Ivan loved about Mylene. After a while, Ivan calmed down and said “Sorry…”

“It’s OK,” Adrien said. “This just shows me your emotions are strong. You just might need an outlet to channel all of that.”

“An outlet, huh? Well, I play the drums sometimes…” Ivan said.

“That’s a start,” Adrien said. “But ‘sometimes’ might not be enough. Hey, here’s an idea! What does Mylene do?”

“Huh? Well, she does a lot of volunteer work.”

“Well then, why don’t you help her out with that.”

“What? No. I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

Ivan looked scared. “Because…I don’t think I fit the image of someone who volunteers.”

Adrien looked at him. _This runs deeper than I thought._ “Ivan, there’s no one type of volunteer. Truth is, I was there when Mylene got rescued. The guy she was being rescued from said he was a ‘fellow conservationist’.”

Ivan was surprised. “Um, yeah. He had been volunteering with Mylene for a bit.”

Adrien smiled. “Well, you’d never do something like that, right?”

“Of course not!” Ivan snapped back.

“Then I’d say you’re already head and shoulders above him. If he can do volunteer work, so can you” Adrien said, finishing his point.

Ivan’s face lit up. “You’re right Adrien!” He hugged him a little tighter than Adrien was used to. “Thank you!”

After Adrien got over the shock of the hug, he hugged back and said “You’re welcome.”

Ivan let go and went off to talk to Mylene. Adrien decided to follow. Ivan slowed down as he approached Mylene. He gently tapped her on her shoulder. Mylene turned around. “Um, yes Ivan?”

Ivan was frozen. Still, he worked up his courage and said “So, are you volunteering anywhere today?”

Mylene seemed surprised. “Um, yeah. I was going to go down to the animal shelter to help out.”

“Could…Could I come and help too?” Ivan asked.

Mylene was more surprised, but she said “Of course! I even know what you can do. Come on.” Mylene left and Ivan followed. Adrien looked on and smiled. Not too far away from him, was Lila, who was staring daggers at him. When he turned around and saw her however, she turned on a dime and smiled peacefully.

Kim ran over to Adrien. “Woah! How’d you do that?”

“Did what?” Adrien asked.

“Ivan’s been pinning after Mylene for quite a while, but this is the first time he’s done anything about it. I wanna know what your secret is.” If the two of them were to look at Lila in this moment, she would be fuming.

Adrien smiled nervously and said “Well, I didn’t do anything but just talk.”

“No. What you did was magic” Kim said. “Listen, I was wondering. How do you get a girl to like you?”

Adrien was shocked. “Well, I guess there’s no one way of getting someone to like you…”

“Aw man, I can see why you helped Ivan just like THAT!” Kim snapped on the word “THAT!” “But I think you can be more helpful than you realize. See, the person I like…” He quickly made sure no one could hear, then whispered into Adrien’s ear “is Chloe.”

Adrien was surprised. “Wait, really?” he said. “I mean, not that Chloe isn’t great, but she’s…complex.”

“Well, I’m sure you have the inside scoop,” Kim said.

Adrien thought about it. “OK. I’ll try and figure something out. It might take a bit. Chloe can be a bit stubborn sometimes.”

Kim nodded. “Gotcha. Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Seeya!” he said, running off.

_Well, Lila’s deceptions run pretty deep. I can’t expect to undo all of the damage in one day. I just have to take this one at a time._

“Hey Adrien!” Alya said, running over.

“Oh, uh, yes Alya?”

“I just added a new feature to my website. Wanna check it out?”

“Um, OK” Adrien said. He took out his phone and pulled up Noir Notes. He was shocked. “A Requests section?”

Alya nodded. “With Cat Noir rescuing Mylene like that, it’s clear that he’s a hero! So, I thought it would be fun to see what people want Cat Noir’s help with.”

“Um, you know Alya, Cat Noir’s just one person” Adrien said. “There’s no way he can get through all of them.”

Alya nodded. “I don’t expect him to get through any of them. But I still think it’s a fun idea. And I put a disclaimer saying as such. So, no need to worry.”

“Right,” Adrien said nervously. _I think I’ll look these over when I have more time._

After Adrien got home and did whatever work he had to, he looked through the information sheet his father gave him about the upcoming photoshoot. He was tickled pink that Marinette could come up with something just by seeing him go to school. He went to his computer and began messaging Marinette.

“Hey Marinette. I just got the info on the upcoming shoot. Your designs look amazing as always.”

“Thanks…”

“Although I’m modeling it later this week, it won’t be on shelves for another few weeks.”

“Oh man! It’s going to be out of style once it hits shelves. Why did I even bother?”

“Cheer up. Sure, you made it for Back to School, but I think it has enough tenacity to make through the entirety of the fall season. It’s THAT good.”

“Thanks…again.”

Adrien had a thought. He asked Marinette “Hey. What do you think about Chloe?”

“…Well, she’s your friend, so I don’t want to say anything…”

Adrien giggled. “It’s OK. I know Chloe’s not the best.”

“Well, she’s better than Lila… But she can be so insufferable sometimes. She has a hard time caring about people who aren’t herself, and she hates it whenever you try to insinuate she’s anything but perfect. Sorry…”

“It’s alright. I know she can be like that.” He sighed.

Marinette responded. “But she’s changed, if only ever so slightly. She wasn’t as bad as she used to be. By the time I was forced out, she seemed almost decent.”

“I see… Let’s change the subject. Would you be able to make a phone case for me? I’ll pay you.”

“Huh? Um, sure. But why?”

“Well, I’m thinking that if I continue to be Cat Noir, I’m going to have to speak sooner or later. However, people would no doubt recognize my voice. So, I can get some voice-modulation technology on my phone. But then people would recognize my phone. So, I would need a special Cat Noir case.”

“Wait. Like you actually want me to MAKE the case for you?”

“Um, yeah? Is that a problem?”

“Well, no… I have a 3-D printer, but it is going to take a little bit.”

“I don’t mind. I don’t plan on being Cat Noir tonight or anything. And I’m sure I can keep up the silent act for just a little while longer.”

“Very well. It should be ready for you by next weekend.”

“Does that mean we get to hang out again?”

“Of course Kitty. Good night.”

Adrien’s heart skipped a beat when she called him “Kitty”. He gathered his bearings and looked through the Noir Notes requests section. _A lot of people are like “Help me with my homework” or “Take down this bully” or “Be my boyfriend”. Wait…_

Something had caught his eye. One of the “Be my boyfriend” one stood out from among the rest. He read it intently. “Hey, could Cat Noir come and please pretend to be my boyfriend for a bit? Maybe it can help me get used to dating boys. I mean, I don’t wanna do it, but the girl I like doesn’t know I exist. Well, she does, we’re good friends, but I’m afraid to know what would happen if I came out to her and told her I liked her. So, I’m just giving up. For her. Anyway, I’ll be on the Pont des Arts bridge on Sunday at four. I’ll be carrying a purple rose.”

Adrien looked at it. “I can’t let someone feel like this. I’ve gotta help them come out. Good thing it’s on Sunday, so I can get my phone case. Still, this looks like my first real mission from Noir Notes! And I’m ready for it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know? Thinking on it now, I actually think the name works better than intended. Not only does it cover Adrien's past situation and Marinette's current situation in the physical sense, it also works because Lila isolates each of her "friends" on a mental level. So I'm keeping it. Now I've gotta figure out if I should raise it to a T rating.


	8. Deals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out longer than I had anticipated. I had thought about splitting it up, but it became too short if I did that, and I kind of think being too long is the better of the two options.
> 
> I am upping this story to a T rating, at least for now. I'm doing this to cover my bases. If this finishes and nothing warrants it, I'll switch it back, but this might help me open up the story a little bit.
> 
> Also, sadness warning for the very end.

Arien walked into class the next day to see a crowd had gathered around Ivan. He decided to follow suit. The reason why became apparent, as Ivan had some scars on his face. “Ivan, what happened?”

Ivan smiled and said “Buster did it.”

Adrien was confused. “Allow me to explain,” Mylene said. “See, Ivan asked to help volunteer with me yesterday. I was going to the animal shelter, and I thought I had a good idea. See, some of the bigger dogs get a little too energetic, so I thought Ivan could play with them for a bit to help calm them down. And he was doing a great job, but Buster, one of the biggest ones, got too into it and scratched him.”

“I see,” Adrien said.

“It was a complete accident, and Buster even felt sorry about the whole thing,” Ivan said.

“Yeah, Ivan’s been really forgiving about this whole thing” Mylene said.

“Why don’t you show them the pictures?” Ivan asked.

“Pictures?” Alix asked.

Ivan nodded. He looked at Mylene. “Oh, alright,” Mylene said. “I was worried because they were all from before the scar, but since you say it’s OK…” she took out her phone and everyone gathered around her. Mylene showed off a series of photos of Ivan playing with dogs. It was completely adorable.

“I gotta say, I didn’t think you had it in you,” Alix said.

Ivan blushed. “I wasn’t sure I had it in me either. But honestly, it was a lot of fun.”

“It’s all thanks to Adrien here,” Kim said.

Adrien blushed. “Who me? I didn’t do anything.”

“That’s not true,” Ivan said. “Your talk inspired me to help, and I want to thank you for it.”

“Oh, well, thanks,” Adrien said.

“You’re a natural,” Kim said.

“Yeah” said Alix. “I mean, Lila’s been great and all, but I’ve never seen a result this dramatic this fast. Maybe she could learn a thing or two from you.”

Lila was surprised. She blushed, rubbed the back of her head, and said “Maybe.”

“We’ll see,” Adrien said. “I mean, I imagine we’re both pretty busy. From what I’ve heard, after school, your life is an adventure!”

“I’m sure we can make the time,” Lila said. “I mean, you’ve gotten to know the class, and you’ve only been here for a week or so.”

“That’s true. A lot has happened” Adrien said. _What would happen if Lila and I were alone? She can’t know I’m on to her, can she? If she doesn’t know, I don’t think she would cue me in on her goal just yet. It’s still too early. Still, I should be on guard for that meeting._ “Well, if our schedules allow for some one on one time, I guess we could talk.”

Lila blushed. “I’d like that.” Shortly after class began for the day.

During break, Ivan met up with Adrien alone. “Hey, thanks again man” he said.

“No problem” Adrien replied.

“I mean it” Ivan said. “I know I only asked to try and get closer to Mylene, but the whole experience was rewarding.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Adrien said. Ivan then grew concerned. “What’s up?”

“Well… If I tell you something, can you promise not to tell anyone else?” Ivan asked.

Adrien smiled. “Of course.”

Ivan smiled back. “Thanks. …It’s just, you kind of remind me of Marinette. You know, before she…well…”

Adrien was surprised. “Huh.”

“It’s just, she used to be so helpful,” Ivan said. “I guess she was, even when she was jealous of Lila. Don’t get me wrong, she shouldn’t have bullied Lila, or stolen from her, but if you were to talk to her outside of Lila, it was like talking to you right now.”

“I see…” Adrien said, pondering this.

“I mean, Lila’s been helpful,” Ivan said, “it’s just…uh…how do I say this? She is a nice person, but she’s not as good at it?”

Adrien smiled. “It’s OK. Remember, this is staying between the two of us.”

Ivan smiled. “Thanks. Well, we should get going.”

“Alright,” Adrien said. Ivan left. Adrien looked around and saw Lila standing by herself. He decided to walk over and say “Hello.” Lila looked at him curiously. “Looks like we’ll get that chance to talk sooner than we thought.”

“I guess” Lila smiled. She looked sad. “So, how do you do it?”

“Do what?” Adrien asked.

“Well, you heard the class today,” Lila said. “How do you help people so well?”

Adrien had to tread lightly. _I don’t want her to undermine me on any future attempts to deconstruct her web. I still don’t even know how big it is yet. It would be foolish to make it bigger before my eyes. I just have to give a vague answer._ “Well, I just listen and give positive reinforcement,” he said.

“I try to do that too,” Lila said. “But you’ve helped Ivan in a way I couldn’t. Why is that?”

_She’s trying to get a more specific answer. Just keep it vague, and we should be fine for now._ “Well, I guess that’s just because we’re different people,” he said. “We have different experiences, and as such, we would have different ways of helping people.”

“Huh” said Lila. “That wasn’t what I was expecting, but I guess that makes sense.”

Adrien smiled. “Tell you what. If you’re helping someone out, why don’t you text me or something? That way, we can work together! You showing off your strengths, and I showing off mine. I mean, two heads are better than one after all.”

Lilai was taken aback. She blushed and said “I’d like that.”

“I’d like that too,” Adrien said.

“Well, we should get back to class,” Lila said.

“OK” Adrien said. He started walking when he noticed Lila grabbing his arm. “Um, Lila?”

“Huh? Oh” Lila said. She let go. “Sorry. I just get nervous easily. You know, ever since the incident. And you just seem so brave. So, I just kind of…”

Adrien smiled. “I understand. Just make sure to ask. I’m not great with people touching me unexpectedly. Between my fans and Chloe, it started feeling uncomfortable.”

“Oh no,” Lila said. “Don’t worry. I’ll have a nice chat with Chloe about this.”

“You don’t have to,” Adrien said. Lila was surprised. “What I mean is, I’ve already talked to her about it, and she’s gotten better about it.” Lila smiled and nodded and the two walked off.

_OK, I don’t think she’s on to me, and I’ve laid a trap. Sure, it’s double edged, and whether or not she’ll spring it is up in the air, but it’s still worth trying. Still, she knows one of my weaknesses now. It’s not a weakness she can use well, but I should be careful regardless._

After school that day, he hung out with Nino at the dance club. They taught each other more about the dancing styles they knew, and had another good time all around. However, when it came time for Adrien to leave, Nino rushed him out again. _Once could be coincidence, but twice now? Something’s up. I just need to find a good time to ask about it._

He then got out his phone. He was going to message his bodyguard but decided to do a quick check of Noir Notes to see if there was anything new. He had now got in the habit of bringing his costume along, so if there was something he could do, he could do it.

Nothing around him looked like he was needed, and anything new on the site was more speculation, which was wildly varying, and more requests. Again, most of these requests were trivial in nature. But there was a new one that caught his eye due to how odd it was.

“Hello? Cat Noir? Um, I have a note I want to deliver to someone, but I don’t know how. Could you possibly do it for me? I’ll be in the TV station lobby tonight until 6:30. Thank you.”

Adrien was puzzled. He checked the time stamp. _Today. And it’s about 5:45 now…_ He realized the Kids+ TV studio wasn’t too far from here. _Well, let’s just hope this is the right one…_ He messaged his bodyguard saying to pick him up there at about 6:25, and went on his way.

Once he got there, he hid on the side of the building and dressed up, leaving his bag behind. As Cat Noir, he walked into the building. He approached the receptionist and rang the bell. The receptionist looked up confused and surprised.

“Pssst! Over here” said a voice. He looked over to see a young girl waving at him. Adrien was now the one who was confused and surprised. He walked over. He saw she had a lot of paper and some crayons for drawing. “I knew you’d make it!”

Adrien smiled. _I love her optimism Although, she is a child, so she probably doesn’t know it was dumb luck that brought me here. I won’t tell her though._ He grabbed some of the paper and a black crayon and decided to write his statements, stylizing them like a child. “How did you get onto Noir Notes?”

“Um, I saw mommy doing some research on there. She’s a news reporter! She gave me this” she said, holding up a tablet, “to watch some videos on, but I really needed to get this note out” she now held up her note. “So, I logged on and tried my best.”

Adrien smiled for her. “You did good kid. What’s your name?”

“Manon” she said. “Anyway, can you deliver this?” She held up the letter.

“Who’s it for?”

Manon looked sad. “It’s for my old babysitter,” she said. “I don’t know if you know her, but her parents run the bakery you went to.” Adrien was surprised. “Mommy said she did something bad, and that she’s not allowed to babysit me anymore. I know she didn’t do it though! She’s so nice! I wanted to deliver it to her, but I don’t know how to get there without getting a ride, and mommy won’t help me mail it. So, please?” She held out the note again, this time with her baby-doll eyes.

_How could I say no to that face?_ He wrote “Do you need to get it to her ASAP?”

“A…SAP?”

Adrien silently chuckled. “As Soon As Possible. It means does she need it right away?”

“Oh. Well, I would like for her to get it right away, but as long as she gets it, I’ll be alright.”

“OK. Thank you. I will pass it along to her.”

Manon’s face lit up. She was so giddy she was just about to charge in for a hug. She then stopped herself and asked “Um, can I give you a hug?” Adrien nodded. Manon rushed in and hugged with vigor. Adrien hugged back.

Adrien hadn’t even considered something like this. _I promise you, the two of you will be reunited. It may take some time, but I will do it._ He let go and took the note. He did a two finger salute to say his goodbye and left.

He went to the side of the building to grab his bag. However, he bumped into someone. He looked up to see that it was his bodyguard, holding his bag. The two looked at each other for a little bit. Adrien surmised that he came by and saw the bag on the ground and went to investigate. Despite his appearances, Adrien knew his bodyguard wasn’t stupid. There wasn’t really a lot he could do in this situation. He sighed. “Can you at least not tell my parents and only talk to Nathalie about this?” The bodyguard was confused, but nodded. Adrien changed out of his disguise, and put it back in the bag. The two went to the car and headed home.

On his way back, Adrien messaged Marinette. “Hey, we have a bit of a situation. I got caught as Cat Noir by my bodyguard. I managed to convince him to only tell my family’s assistant, but I can’t lie to them. Could I just tell them about you? If that’s alright? Please get back to me ASAP.”

Later, Adrien was meeting with Nathalie. Adrien’s costume was on the table, along with his phone. Nathalie was rubbing her eyes. “Adrien. Please tell me you have an explanation for all of this.”

“I do,” Adrien said.

Nathalie put her glasses on and glared at him. “And?”

“Oh. Oh you want me to TELL YOU my explanation” he said. “Well…um, this is gonna be difficult.” _Marinette hasn’t gotten back to me yet. I don’t know if I can keep this up._

“I can’t in good conscience hide this from your parents,” Nathalie said. “Please explain to me what possessed you to do any of this.”

“Ummmmmmmm…”

Suddenly the phone rang. Adrien reached for it, but Nathalie grabbed it first, as if her hand was as fast as hurricane winds. She noticed it wasn’t a registered number. She answered “How did you get this number?”

“Um, Adrien gave it to me” Marinette said timidly from the other line. “You’re the secretary right?” Nathalie was alarmed. “You’re talking about him being Cat Noir… Well, that’s kind of my fault.”

Adrien was worried about what was happening on the other end. He tried reaching for the phone, but Nathalie blocked him. She continued to listen to Marinette. “I see…Thank you. Have a good day.” She hung up. She sighed. “Adrien. I know you can be a bit of a problem child.” Adrien remembered several times in which he attempted to sneak out or run away just to be on his own for a little bit, causing his parents, his bodyguard, and Nathalie to worry. “But THIS just takes the cake.” Adrien looked worried. “I’ve heard what your friend Marinette had to say. Now let’s hear you explain it.”

Adrien was puzzled. “Well, so, you know how Ladybug is my favorite designer for father’s company?” Nathalie nodded. “Well, I’ve been wanting to meet with her for a while now. I figured out her name, but not much else. Then, when I went to school, I caught her catching a glimpse of me. I learned that Marinette was considered a bully, and then later, I was told by father that Ladybug had new designs for me. I knew then they were the same person.”

Adrien explained the rest of the story. How he couldn’t be seen going to the bakery, and how he felt so desperate to meet with her. The origin of the disguise. The whole Lila thing. He hoped that it got through to her.

Once he was finished, Nathalie composed herself. “Well, at least the two of you are good at corroborating, if nothing else.”

“But it’s the truth!” Adrien said.

Nathalie smiled. “I know. I can tell when you’re lying.” She sighed. “Alright, I won’t tell your parents about all of this, at least for now. But I want you to promise me something.”

Adrien was confused. “What?”

“I want you to talk to your parents more about what’s going on,” she said. “You don’t have to explain everything, at least not yet. Don’t get me wrong, I want you to, but I understand why you won’t for now.”

Adrien looked sad. “Adrien,” she said. He looked up. “They’re your parents. They care about you. They want to hear about how you’re doing. Perhaps they can even help you. Of course, I’ll be willing to help you too.” Adrien looked excited. “If what you said about this Lila person is true, then I wish to help you. I know a thing or two about behind the scenes work. Your bodyguard will also be able to help. Isn’t that right?” She looked at the bodyguard, and he nodded. “Just be sure you’re keeping up with school, and all of your other stuff.” Adrien nodded. “You’re going to be really busy. Are you sure you can handle it?”

Adrien grinned. “When you’ve had nothing to do for most of your life, there’s a lot of pent up energy to do all of this.”

Nathalie smiled a silly grin. Adrien was perplexed, because that smile was rare. “You know, I sat in on some of the meetings where your parents were discussing you going to school. Your father was worried about all sorts of things. I thought he had run through every possible scenario. I guess I was wrong.”

Adrien smiled. “Oh yeah” he said. He took Manon’s note out of his pocket. “Um, I’m supposed to deliver this to Marinette. Is that alright?”

Nathale smiled. “Don’t worry Adrien, I’ll take care of this. Your father wanted me to investigate the bakery anyway. You know, after your little stunt.” Adrien blushed. Nathalie grabbed the note. “Alright. Just do whatever you were going to do when you got back before all of this. And remember what I said.”

Adrien nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

Nathalie smiled. “Let’s go!” she told the bodyguard. The two of them headed out.

Nathalie and the bodyguard had managed to get to the bakery before it closed. Nathalie walked in alone. Sabine and Tom turned to her. “Um, hello. How can we help you?”

“I know this is a bit sudden,” Nathlie said, “but I work with Gabriel Agreste. Because of the recent attention brought upon you, he wants to know about his place. I know that you’re closing now, but is there a good time to set up a meeting?”

Tom and Sabine were shocked. “Um, what would this meeting be about?” Tom stammered out.

“Mr. Agreste likes to consider a lot of possibilities” Nathalie said. “He was wondering about using your bakery as a set. Or barring that, using some of your goods for a baking motif.” Tom and Sabine looked at each other, not sure about what to do. “I will tell you, a lot of this goes nowhere. But, if you’re interested in the possibility, here’s my card,” she said, handing it to them. “Also, I found this outside your door. It’s addressed to a Marinette.”

“That’s our daughter,” Sabine said. “I’ll make sure it gets to her.”

Nathalie smiled. “Thank you. Also, if it wouldn’t be any trouble, could I get a box of cookies.”

“Oh, it’ll be no trouble at all,” Tom said. He left to get them.

“You know, Mr. Agreste’s son came in and he also got cookies,” Sabine said.

“So I’ve heard,” Nathalie said. “He told me they were delicious. I’m curious.”

“Here you go,” Tom said.

Nathalie paid for them. “Thank you.” She left the store and got in the car. They pulled off. Nathalie started eating the cookies. “Want one?” she said, offering one to the bodyguard. He rejected. She continued eating them.

The bodyguard then gave her a stern look. “Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “Look, I know it’s crazy, but I really want to help Adrien here. Was he foolish? Of course. But being young is all about making mistakes. I’m just here to make sure he’s making the right ones.” She smiled. “Besides, can’t you tell?” The bodyguard raised his eyebrow. “Our little Adrien’s in love.” The bodyguard thought about it, and then nodded. “I’m just not sure he knows it yet.”

Adrien went back to his room as soon as the meeting was over. He headed to the computer and saw Marinette messaged him. “Adrien! Are you alright? What happened?”

“I’m still trying to process that myself,” he replied. “But basically, not only has Nathalie agreed to not tell my parents, she’s willing to help me.”

“…? Why?”

“I’m not sure. But I’m glad she is.”

“Well, I’m glad things worked out for you.”

“Sorry about dragging more people into this…”

“It’s OK. This was sudden. I get it.”

“By the way, the mission I was on as Cat Noir involved you.”

“Me?”

“Yup. I was to deliver a note to you. But Nathalie’s taking it to your place.She said she needed to scout it anyway. You should be getting it soon.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Good night.”

“Good night Adrien” she typed. She saw Adrien log off. She then spoke to herself. “What could that be?”

“Marinette!” her mom called. “There’s a letter for you! I’ll just slip it through the door as usual.” Marinette rushed over and opened the hatch door. Sabine was surprised to see her. “Marinette?”

“Uh, yeah. I just wanted to get this from you.” She took the note. “Thank you, mama!” She kissed her mom on the head, and closed the door.

Sabine was surprised. “Well, it’s good to see she’s getting better.”

Marinette went up to her bed and looked at the note. “Manon?” she said, recognizing the handwriting. She opened it up.

“Marinette, Mommy says you did something bad, and you can’t be my babysitter anymore. I don’t think that’s true though. You’re so nice and kind. I can’t believe that you would do something so mean.

Mommy says you haven’t left your house much since got kicked out of school. You taught me that sometimes people just need to be alone sometimes. But I do want to see you again. I want to show you how much I’ve grown since the last time I’ve seen you. Please come out soon. Once they realize you didn’t do it, I’m sure they’ll forgive you. -Manon”

Underneath was a drawing of the two of them. Marinette was impressed, and at the same time heartbroken. Manon still believed in her. She couldn’t believe it herself. Manon looked up to her so much, and wanted her to leave. Meanwhile, here she was wallowing in self-pity. Marinette began crying. “I’m sorry Manon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't say I didn't warn you.
> 
> Anyway, I know where this is going, and I have a fair amount of beats for the story, but my problem this time seems to be stringing them along nicely. I want it to feel logical, but also well-paced. It feels like a game of connect the dots where only the beginning and end are clearly marked. I tend to write like that, but now I'm just not sure where to go entirely. I think I can manage though. Even writing this now, some things are forming clearer. Which is one of the reasons I do these. It helps me think aloud.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy.


	9. Window to the Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, I'm back. However, this break proved to be fruitful. Before, I had no idea where I was taking the story. But now that I had some time off from working on it, when I came back to it, I came up with a bunch of new ideas on what to add and where to put things. It's amazing how the mind works sometimes. Of course, I've had ideas previously, but I couldn't figure out how to get from A to B. Now I do, and it's going to be great. Enjoy.

Adrien was on his way to school. He was looking at the news reports of Cat Noir’s latest appearance. There was a lot to it. After all, since Adrien talked to the receptionist first, there was a witness. He was watching the interview the reporters were doing with Manon and her mom, who Adrien was shocked to find out was news personality Nadja Chamack.

“Cat Noir was super nice!” Manon said. “He came right away, and he agreed to help me! Isn’t that sweet of him?”

The reporter interviewing her asked “And what did you ask him to do?”

Manon smiled. “I asked him to give someone a letter.”

“A letter?” The reporter asked. “To whom?”

Manon got a little sad. “My old babysitter.” She then got mad. “Everyone says she did something bad, but I don’t believe it! I know she couldn’t!”

The interview then turned over to Nadja, who was asked about her daughter’s actions. “Well, Manon has always been a little precocious” she said. “But I never thought she’d be able to do any of this.” She stared solemnly at the floor. “It’s because she can’t accept what happened with her old babysitter. Even now, she insists she’s innocent. I’ve tried telling her, but she can be so stubborn sometimes.” She sighed. “I guess she needs to grow up before she can come to terms with it all.”

Adrien felt scorned. _Keep it together. Nobody knows yet._ He then looked and saw Lila outside of the school. She was looking at something on her phone and tightening her fist Adrien was curious. He approached her slowly. He looked over her shoulder to see she was watching the same interview. “Lila?”

“Huh?” Lila said, turning around in surprise. “Oh Adrien, it was just you.”

“Sorry,” Adrien said. “I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

Lila giggled. “It’s OK. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

“So, you’re watching that interview as well?” Adrien asked.

“Huh? Oh yeah” Lila said. She looked sad. “I’m glad Cat Noir is willing to help people, but that little girl’s old babysitter was Marinette.”

“I see,” Adrien said. “You feeling alright?”

Lila smiled. “Yeah. I guess… To be honest, it’s hard to see someone praise Marinette. After everything she’s done to me…” She sighed.

“Try thinking about it from her perspective,” Adrien said. “You have trouble believing Marinette is nice. For her, it’s the opposite. She has trouble imagining her babysitter is mean.”

Lila sighed. “I guess…”

“Don’t worry,” Adrien said. “I’m sure she’ll understand the truth eventually. Well, we should get to class.” Adrien started walking to class.

Lila got a menacing smile on her face. “Perhaps sooner than you think.”

During break, Alya went down to Nino and Adrien’s desk. “Can you believe it?!” she said.

“What is it?” Nino asked.

“Cat Noir showed up again!” Alya reminded him.

“Uh, yeah. We’ve seen it. It’s all over the news” Nino said. “Are you going to get this worked up every time Cat Noir does something?”

Alya pouted. “You idiot! Don’t you even know how Cat Noir found Manon?”

“Ummmm, no?” Nino answered.

Alya slammed her hands on the desk. “It was through the Noir Notes website!”

Nino was surprised. “Woah, seriously?!”

“Uh, YEAH!” Alya said. “Took you long enough.”

Nino looked disappointed. “Sorry,” he said. Adrien giggled.

“You know what this means?” Alya asked. “Cat Noir has seen Noir Notes! AND he takes responses from it!”

“I’m happy for you Alya,” Adrien said.

“I wonder what I can say to get him to meet me!” Alya said.

“Hold on. You might be jumping the gun on that” Nino said. Alya looked confused. “Cat Noir is a hero. He only comes out to help those in need.”

“He’s right Alya” Adrien chimed in. “I mean, I’ve been checking Noir Notes routinely, and that seemed to be the first one he responded to.” Alya got disappointed. Adrien smiled. “Still, I’m sure if you have the right request, he might come and talk with you.”

Alya siled. “You’re right. Sometimes I get a little too overzealous on these kinds of things. I’m sure I’ll meet Cat Noir someday!”

“That’s the spirit!” Adrien said. _Although meeting with Alya as Cat Noir could prove to be beneficial. It just needs to be arranged as a coincidence. Luckily, Alya’s very crafty. I might not need to arrange much on my end._

After school, Adrien had fencing. He enjoyed practicing with other people. Seeing new techniques really broadens his horizons in the world of fencing. While everyone was doing the same routines, everyone was doing them just slightly differently. Adrien was feeding off that energy.

Of course, no one was more energetic than Kagami. Adrien could watch her all day. Of course, that wouldn't be in the spirit of their agreement. So Adrien kept on practicing vigorously as well, hoping to open everyone else’s eyes.

After practice was over and everyone had changed, Kagami approached Adrien. “Oh, hey Kagmi. You were really at top form today.”

Kagami glared at him. “I wish the same could be said to you.”

“Excuse me?” Adrien said.

“Don’t get me wrong!” Kagami protested. “You were excellent.” She tightened her fist. “But it didn’t have the same energy as when we fought.”

“Huh” Adrien said.

“I thought you were taking things seriously,” Kagami said.

“I am,” Adrien said.

Kagami scowled. “Then why were you doing marginally worse?!” Adrien was shocked. “I’m more worried now that if your skill decreases, you won’t even stand a chance of not being manipulated by Chloe, let alone Lila.”

Adrien laughed. “You don’t have to worry. At least, about Chloe. We’ve been friends for a lifetime. I know all of Chloe’s tricks, so they don’t affect me.”

“Friends?” Kagami said.

“Yeah. In fact, she and her friend Sabrina are coming over tonight” Adrien clarified. “I’m not sure how I’ve unimproved, but I hope to work on it for the next class. Well, seeya.” Adrien walked off. Kagmi grinned.

“Wow!” Sabrina said, looking around Adrien’s room.”This place has everything!” Adrien smiled, though it felt hollow.

Chloe approached him. “I know that look,” she said. “What’s wrong?”

Adrien rubbed the back of his head. “Well…” He sighed. “I get a little sad when someone compliments my room.”

“Oh” Sabirna said, turning around. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Adrien said. “It IS a nice room and all. It’s just…” he sighed again. “A lot of this stuff was here to keep me in here, you know?” Sabrina looked at him curiously. “All I ever wanted was to get out and see the world for what it really is.”

“Oh. I see” Sabrina said.

Adrien sensed her sadness. “But hey, that doesn't mean I don’t enjoy the stuff in here. For instance…” He walked over to the foosball table. “I’ve gotten really good at foosball.”

“HAH!” said Chloe. “Don’t forget who taught you everything you knew.”

“Oh you’re a teacher now?” Adrien said.

“Why don’t we settle this then?” Chloe said.

“Wha-what’s going on?” Sabrina said.

“It’s nothing, Sabrina,” Chloe said.

“Chloe and I just have a long standing foosball rivalry” Adrien said.

“No matter how many games we play, we appear to be evenly matched” Chloe said.

“I see,” Sabrina said. “Well, I’d sure love to see two masters play.”

“So, what do ya say?” Adrien asked.

“Bring it on!” Chloe responded. They got on either side of the table, and began playing. Sabrina watched from the goal Adrien was trying to get into, no doubt to see whenever Chloe got a goal. However, as they said, they were evenly matched.

Eventually though, Adrien won the match. “Told ya” Adrien said.

“Grrrrrrr” Chloe growled. “Next time, I’ll win for sure!”

Sabrina laughed. They both looked at her. “I’m sorry. It’s just, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Chloe so worked up. I kind of miss that part of her.”

Chloe blushed slightly. She sighed and said “Good game either way, right?” Reaching out her hand. Adrien shook it. They spent the rest of the evening hanging out in Adrien’s room, until Sabrina’s dad called to pick her up.

After she left, Chloe looked at Adrien and said “I think I should get going too.”

“Hey” Adrien said. “Sabrina’s really nice.”

Chloe smiled. “Yeah.”

“Maybe you should be more open with her,” Adrien said.

Chloe was caught off guard, but quickly went back on it. “Y-You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Adrien looked sad. “Look” Chloe sighed. “It’s not that I don’t care. I just… Things are more complicated than they appear sometimes. You’re new to society and such. I just don’t want to see you getting hurt.”

Adrien was curious. “Where did that come from?” Chloe glared at Adrien. Adrien nervously smiled. “Sorry.”

Chloe let go of her anger. She looked off to the side. “I want to be more earnest with Sabrina, but...”

_So I was right. Whatever Lila has on Chloe is related to Sabrina. I better not push it for now._ “I understand Chloe. You go at your own pace.”

Chloe smiled. “Thanks Adrien.” She left.

Adrien went to his computer and messaged Marinette. “Hey, so since Nathalie knows your secret, how long before we can let someone else in?”

“You want to let someone else in on all of this?”

“Well, if we can trust them. More allies is always better.”

“I guess…”

“I’m not going to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“...Well, I’m not ready to let anyone in just yet.”

“That’s OK. Hey, did you get the letter?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Adrien found that weird. “Why?”

“It’s personal.”

“OK. So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Well, that shoot is coming up. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to watch one of your shoots.”

Adrien blushed. “Oh? So, you wanna come out for it?”

“NO! Sorry. No. But I was wondering if you could tell me about it when we meet up Saturday. Your shoot’s the day before, right?”

Adrien smiled. “Yup. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure how I would describe a shoot. However, I do have an idea that could work. Just leave it to me.”

“OK.”

“Well, good night.”

“Good night.”

The next day at school, as Chloe was walking the halls, she got approached by Kagami. “Hey” Kagami said.

Chloe was surprised. “What do you want?”

Kagami leaned in and whispered “I know about what’s going on. I want to help.”

Chloe felt frightened, confused, and angry. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Huh? You know. With Lila” Kagami spoke back.

“Look, just because you two don’t get along, there’s no point in dragging me into it!” Chloe protested.

Kagami stared into Chloe’s eyes. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“As far as I’m concerned, you keep your petty squabbles to yourself!” Chloe said. “There are bigger things I need to worry about!”

Kagami smiled. “I see. Thank you. This has been eye opening. Alright, I'll leave you alone.”

“Huh?” Chloe said.

“But know this: Salvation is closer to you than you think,” Kagami said. She walked off.

Chloe was confused. “What?”

After school, Adrien got a text from Kagami asking to meet. Adrien met up with her in secret. “So, what’s this about?”

“Who’s your source?” Kagami said.

“Pardon?” Adrien said.

“Who told you Lila was bad?” Kagami asked “I asked Chloe if it was her today.” Adrien tensed up. “It wasn’t her. So who is it?”

“Why do you need to know?” Adrien asked. “Aren’t we after the same thing?”

“Yeah, but how long do you think that will be enough for?” Kagami scowled back at him. “I’m fine with taking down Lila, but what about after?” Adrien got curious. “Are we friends, or is this a business deal to you, Mr. Hotshot Model?”

Adrien glared at her. “I have no intention of backstabbing you.”

“Then let me in!” Kagami said.

“Unfortunately, that’s not up to my discretion” Adrien sniped back.

Kagami stared at his eyes now. “Oh I see. That explains everything.” Adrien was confused. “Alright. I’ll back off for now.”

“Wait!” Adrien called out. “What did you figure out?”

Kagami chuckled. “You’re protecting someone. You have a reason for getting this defensive.”

“How could you tell?” Adrien asked.

“Simple,” Kagami said. “You had the same look in your eyes that Chloe had when I confronted her. She’s protecting someone, and since you two grew up in such close quarters, I assume you two have picked up similar traits.”

Adrien smiled. “I see.”

“This also explains practice yesterday,” Kagami said. Adrien was confused further. Kagami smiled. “The first day, I had challenged your honor. That day, you had something to fight for, as you do now. But at practice yesterday, well, you were just practicing. You do better when you have something to fight for.”

“Huh” Adrien said. Kagami’s insight was really helpful here. Adrien smiled. “Thank you, Kagami.”

Kagami got embarrassed. “You’re-you’re welcome.” They stood there. Kagami then awkwardly left and said “Well, seeya!”

“Seeya later then” Adrien said, cheerfully. He walked back to the front of the school, as he was expecting his bodyguard to show up any minute now.

“Adrien!” Lila called out. Adrien turned around and waved. Lila rushed to him.

“Hey Lila. What’s up?” Adrien asked.

“I just wanna say, I thought about what you said,” Lila told him. “And you’re right. She’ll learn the truth eventually.”

It was said innocently enough, but Adrien looked into her eyes, like Kagami inadvertently taught him. He could sense the malice in them. _Just what is she planning?_

Lila looked back at Adrien. “Oh? Staring at my eyes? You know, I could get the wrong idea about that, you know?”

“What?” Adrien said. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s OK,” Lila said. “I don’t mind.”

Adrien’s bodyguard pulled up. “Well, there’s my ride. I should get going. Seeya!”

“Bye!” Lila said.

Adrien got in the car, and it pulled off. Adrien thought to himself. _Of course. Lila couldn’t have one what she did if she couldn’t catch people off-guard. This might be a bigger project than I had anticipated._ He thought about what Nathalie said. _I could use some parental guidance._


	10. My Advice To You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been such a long time. I thought with he quarantine, I'd have more time, but it almost feels like I've had less, if that makes sense. I dunno. I don't think anyone actually minds these delays as much as I do, but I do, so I keep mentioning them.
> 
> However you feel about this, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Lucky for Adrien, his parents were both there for dinner. “So Adrien, how are things going at school?” his father asked.

“Yes, I’d like to hear about that as well” his mother chimed in.

Adrien smiled. “School’s going great. I’ve made a bunch of friends already.” He stopped and got a little more serious. “But there’s something that’s been bothering me.”

“Yes?” Gabriel said.

“Well, it’s just, how do you deal with a bully?” Adrien asked.

Gabriel and Emilie completely stopped. “Is someone bullying you?” Gabriel asked. “I KNEW we shouldn't have let him go. I’m going to call the school right away!” He stood up with vigor.

“WAIT!” Adrien said. “I’m not being bullied. But someone else might be, and I want to help them.”

Gabriel stopped again. “Oh. Sorry…” His face was red as he sat back down.

Emilie chuckled. She turned to Adrien. “So, what’s going on?”

“Well, it’s kind of hard to explain,” Adrien said. “It’s not a direct case of bullying. I haven’t seen it, at the very least. But someone has been manipulating one of my friends. When the two of them interact, I can very clearly see a power dynamic where my friend is scared of this other person. I want to help, but I don’t know what to do.”

“I see,” Gabriel said. “That is a tough one.”

“It sounds like your friend might not even know there’s a problem,” Emilie said. “Or if they did, they wouldn’t be willing to tell you. My advice in that case would just to hear out your friend. Once you know their problem, it might become easier to solve.”

“That’s true,” Gabriel said. “And from the sounds of it, that might be the best course of action. You don’t want to make things worse by acting without knowledge.”

Adrien smiled. “Thank you, father.”

“Of course, there’s no shame in asking for help” Gabriel continued. “If you find yourself in over your head, don’t hesitate to get someone else.”

“I see… And How would I know when I’m in over my head?” Adrien asked.

“I don’t think your father is the best person to ask that question” Emilie said. “You know how worked up he can get when he’s creating.”

Gabriel smiled wryly. “Look who’s talking, Miss ‘It’s only a 39 degree fever, I can still do this scene.’” (That’s Celsius, which would equal to about 103 Fahrenheit. It just makes more sense that they would say it that way.)

“First off, it’s ‘Mrs.’ You were there” Emilie responded. “And secondly, I have an entire crew to talk me down in those moments.”

“And have Nathalie” Gabriel stated.

“So, I guess neither of us are the best people to ask that,” Emilie said.

“I’m afraid so,” Gabriel replied. The family had a laugh about their shortcoming.

Once they were done, Adrien asked “What if this friend is stubborn, and won’t tell me anything.”

Gabriel looked at Adrien. “Ah. You’re talking about Chloe.”

“Well, uhhhhh…” Adrien said.

“It’s OK,” Emilie said. “We all know Chloe’s like that.”

“Right,” Adrien said.

“She gets that from her mother,” Emilie continued. “But it’s easy to circumnavigate. If you want her to open up to you, you need to be vulnerable for her.”

“I see,” Adrien said. “Thanks. To be honest, there’s a few people that this bullying situation applies to, but Chloe is the most difficult one.”

Gabriel nodded. “Thank you for coming to us about this.”

“You’re welcome,” Adrien responded.

Emilie got excited. “Oooooooooo. Look at our little man! He’s trying to help out his new friends. He’s like our little Cat Noir!”

Adrien and Gabriel froze. Gabriel sighed. “You’re really taken a shine to this Cat Noir, haven’t you? Still, I can’t disagree.”

“Hey, if he didn’t have parents, would you want to take him in?” Emilie asked.

Gabriel blushed. “That’s… quite sudden.”

“Well, I was thinking…” Emilie said. “It might be nice to have another child.”

Gabriel’s entire face turned ruby red. “N-not in front of Adrien, OK?” Emilie smiled mischievously. Adrien was confused, but OK with it. So long as they weren't talking about him being like Cat Noir, or him being in the same place a Cat Noir, almost anything would be better.

After dinner, Adrien went to Nathalie. “Hey Nathalie” he asked.

“Yes Adrien?” Nathalie responded.

Adrien looked away sheepishly. “Um, do you think it would be possible to video chat my next shoot with Marinette?”

Nathalie looked at him surprised. She thought about it. “We could do it.” Adrien’s face lit up. “But, I would need to use her Ladybug account to do so. It would be easier to explain to people.”

Adrien hugged Nathalie. “Thank you Nathalie.”

Nathalie smiled and tousled his hair. Adrien let go, and Nathalie said “I’m grateful that you’re willing to ask for help like this. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to intervene to help your father.”

Adrien giggled. “We were talking about that tonight at dinner.”

Nathanlie nodded. “Please inform me when you have her Ladybug information so I can make the necessary preparations.”

Adrien nodded. “Thanks again Nathalie.” He walked off.

“You’re welcome,” Nathalie responded.

Adrien went to his room to check his computer. Despite the buzz, nothing new on Noir Notes caught his attention. He then messaged Marinette. He was getting used to talking with her every night. “Marinette, could I have your contact information as Ladybug?”

“...? Why? We’re already talking.”

“Well, you know how I was going to arrange something so you can see a photoshoot? Well, I was thinking of streaming it to you. I asked Nathalie about it, and she said it would be easier to explain things if it was through your Ladybug account.”

“I see. Very well.” She gave it to him.

“Thank you.”

“I’m glad Nathalie’s on our side. She seems like one smart cookie.”

“I’ll tell her you said that. I talked with my parents tonight about what’s going on with Lila.”

“Oh?” And how did that go?”

“It went well. It helped me put things into perspective. Which is why I’m going to ask again.”

“Ask what?”

“Would it be possible for you to tell other people about this? I will understand if you say no, but hear me out. I don’t know how deep the Lila rabbit hole goes. But there are some people who know and would be willing to help. I just need to let them in.”

“...I’ll think about it.”

“I won’t do anything without your approval.”

“Thanks. BTW, I finished your phone case. I think you’ll like it.”

“If it’s done by you, I know I’ll like it. I can’t wait until Saturday.”

“And I can’t wait until Friday. I get to see you in action!”

“Funny, because ‘in-action’ is how I would describe my role there.”

“Oh hush. You’re just being modest.”

Adrien giggled. “Well, good night Marinette.”

“Good night Adrien.”

Adrien went to his bed and smiled. He thought about how funny it was that his evening was almost entirely spent at home like it had been for most of his life. And yet, it felt different somehow. Like there was a new energy that he was picking up. Probably because a lot of his time was spent talking about what had happened, and what was going to happen outside of this house. He felt listless before when all he knew was the confines of this house. But now, he felt so excited about every new possibility. The excitement drained him quickly and he managed to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has always bugged me that in Kung Fu Cheng Shifu mentions that they're speaking English, despite the fact that earlier when Marinette had that translation app opened, it was saying she was speaking French. Just use the French stuff. I'm alright with it. I'm saying this because of the whole temperature thing. France uses Celsius, so they would talk in terms of Celsius. I mean, Celsius makes no sense to me in terms of general usage, but that's neither here nor there.


	11. Symbiosis

The day of Adrien’s shoot arrived. He and Nathalie approached Vincent, who was helping set everything up. Vincent turned to Adrien and walked up to him. “Ah! Adrien! Another Ladybug shoot today! I bet you’re excited.”

“Of course” Adrien said.

“You’ll be excited too,” Nathalie said. “See, Ladybug got in contact with me and wishes to watch this particular photoshoot. If that is alright with you, I would like to video conference this with Ladybug.”

Vincent looked surprised. “Oh, but OF COURSE! This is such a joyous day! I get to see the lady behind the designs of Ladybug!”

“I hate to disappoint, but that’s not actually happening” Nathalie said. “She still wishes to remain anonymous, so while she is looking at everything, we won’t be able to look back.”

“Huh” Vincent said. “Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised. But I am disappointed.”

“Don’t worry Vincent,” Adrien said. “I’m sure the two of you will meet one day.”

Vincent nodded. He turned to ready his crew. “Alright, places everyone. We’ll be on as soon as Adrien is ready!”

“Thanks again Nathalie,” Adrien said.

“The pleasure is all mine” Nathalie said. She took out her tablet and called Marinette. When she picked up, there was nothing but a Ladybug pattern on the screen. Nathalie asked “Are you ready Ladybug?”

“Mh hmmmm” Marinette answered.

“Great. So, the first thing you get to see is Adrien changing” Nathalie said.

“WHAT?!” Adrien and Marinette said in unison.

“That was a joke of course,” Nathalie said. Marinette and Adrien laughed nervously.

“Well, I should change,” Adrien said. “I gotta go.”

“OK,” Marinette said. Adrien left.

“So, are you excited?” Nathalie asked.

“Umm yeah” Marinette said. “Adrien’s really good.”

Nathalie smiled. “I’ve done some research on Lila’s family.” Marinette was confused. “Apparently, she only has her mom. She is a diplomat, and as a result, Lila gets to do many interesting things. On paper, Lila is the epitome of pristine. Of course, I assume you know that.” Marinette was silently angry. “I’m sorry. There isn’t much more I can do on this front. What I’m allowed to research is limited to how it can be used for the company. I had to justify my research into Lila as a potential candidate for a new model.”

Marinette was angry at that last part, but then sighed. She told Nathalie “It’s OK. I’m thankful that you’re even willing to help out this much. But, may I ask why you’re helping me?”

Nathalie grew a stern look on her face. “My reasons are personal.”

“Oh. OK…” Marinette said.

Nathalie smiled. “Relax Marinette. Look, Adrien’s about to get started.” She turned the tablet to face Adrien. Adrien was wearing Marinette’s latest design. It was a normal blazer and pants combo, where they were dark brown with a black plaid pattern, but on his right shoulder was a field of green. As the green gets lower to about halfway down the blazer, the green parts start breaking off into bits and change color to represent the changing leaves of a tree.

Everyone was ecstatic about the design. There was a lot of murmuring about it amongst the crew. “Alright, settle down everyone” Vincent said. “Of course Ladybug’s newest creation is magnificent, as always, but we have a job to do. Adrien, are you ready?”

Adrien nodded. He turned to face Nathalie and saw the Ladybug pattern on the tablet. He waved gently, then got into position. He began posing, and Vincent began taking pictures. Marnette looked on through the camera. She is in awe at Adrien’s modeling. Every pose is like poetry in motion.

Once the shoot is over, Adrien relaxed. “Adrien!” said Vincent walking over. “You were MAGNIFICO today!”

“Thanks Vincent,” Adrien said. “But I was just doing what I always do.”

“Yes, but you did it with such poise, such grace, such elegance!” Vincent shouted. “What happened? I must know!”

Adrien thought about it. “I’m not really sure.”

Vincent glanced at Nathalie. “Ah, perhaps it was the fact that Ladybug herself was watching, yeah?” he asked. “I know I wouldn’t want to disappoint her.”

Adrien looked over. He was getting a light blush and said. “Yeah. Maybe.”

Nathalie turned the tablet towards her and asked “Well Marinette, what did you think of the shoot?”

“It was amaaaaaaazing” Marinette said.

Nathalie giggled. “All thanks to you.”

“Oh no,” Marinette said, “I mean, I just design the clothes. Adrien really brings them out. He’s, well, amazing!”

“Trust me Marinette,” Nathalie said, “ you’re doing more than you think you are.”

“Huh?” Marinette asked.

“Don’t worry about that,” Nathalie said. “For now, just know that this is the happiest I’ve seen Adrien in a long time.”

“Huh” Marinette said. Nathalie turned the tablet toward Adrien and Adrien waved and came over.

“Hey Marinette. How’d you enjoy the photoshoot?” he asked.

“Oh, it was just splendid,” Marinette said. “You did such a good job.”

Adrien smiled. “Well, it helps that I was modeling your designs.”

“Oh, psh, don’t be so modest,” said Marinette. “You brought out the best in them.”

“I think you both did well,” Nathalie said. The two laughed nervously in unison.

“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” Adrien asked.

“Yeah” said Marinette. “See yeah.” Marinette hung up the call.

Adrien got in the car, as did Nathalie. “So Adrien how did you think that shoot went?”

“Honestly, I think it went pretty well.” Nathalie chuckled. “What?”

Nathalie sighed. “It’s just, you normally say things like ‘Oh, it’s alright’, or ‘yeah, whatever.’ This is the first time I think you’ve been so upbeat after a photoshoot.”

“Huh” Adrien said quizzically. 

That night, Adrien was staring at the ceiling, thinking about what Nathalie and Vincent had said. _Did Marinette watching me make that big of a difference? Well, I’ve never had someone watching one of my shoots who wasn’t working on it as well. Well, I guess Marinette did WORK on it, but she wasn’t there to work. She was there to have fun._ Adrien smiled. _Maybe if I got some of my other friends to watch my shoots, I might enjoy them more._

The next day, Adrien found Marinette sketching again. He walked up to her. She turned around and Adrien waved. “Hi there.”

“Oh, hello,” Marinette said. She continued to draw.

Adrien sat down next to her. “By the way, thanks for watching the shoot.”

“Huh?” Marinette said.

Adrie smiled. “Everyone’s been telling me I did much better in that shoot. I’ve been feeling better about it as well. Compared to other shoots.” Marinette looked at him curiously. Adrien sighed. “I really only became a model because I had nothing else to do. For a while, it was just whatever studies my parents had me doing. I was bored out of my mind, doing the same things over and over again. When I heard that my father needed a model, I volunteered just so I could have something to do.

Of course, he was ecstatic. I just went along with it because it gave me a chance to talk to people who weren’t my parents, Nathalie, or my bodyguard regularly.” Adrien sighed deeply. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy being a model. It has its benefits. It’s just… I don’t feel my heart is in it 100%.” He grabbed Marinette’s hand. Marinette blushed. “However, I loved that you were watching it. Having someone supporting me not because it’s their job to, but because they wanted to; I loved that.

I would love it if you would keep watching. I’d feel a lot better about this all if you were there. Of course, you don’t have to…” Adrien said.

“N-no. Of course I’d love to” Marinette said nervously, breaking her hand from Adrien’s. “I totally get it.”

“You do?” Adrien said.

Marinette nodded. “It’s been nice, you know. You being around and talking to me and such… I totally get the thrill of having someone in your corner. It’s a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time. A feeling I’ve missed…”

Adrien looked at her with awe. He then smiled and said “Don’t worry. We’ll get through this. We have each other after all.”

Marinette shared his look of determination. “Yeah.” She then remembered something. “Oh right.” She dug in her bag. “Here.” She gave him a phone case that was black with three green claw marks on it. “It’s your Cat Noir phone case.”

Adrien looked at it. “Marinette. This is amazing! Thank you!”

“Tee hee. You’re welcome” Marinette said.

Adrien put it away. “So, what are you drawing now?” he asked.

“Oh” Marinette said. “Well, I was thinking of doing some people watching. I’ve been thinking about what you’ve said. And the whole incident with Manon as well.” Marinette sighed. “When I was still in school, I would tell people that I would design fashion for all kinds of people. Not just the ideal people you usually see in magazines and stuff. Ah, no offence.” Adrien giggled. 

Marinette continued. “Fashion is an expression of one’s self. I’ve always felt that everyone should be able to express themselves however they want to. However, when I started working for Gabriel, I followed the letter of that idea, but not the spirit. I was designing stuff so that people could be themselves and share their joy with the world. However, I was just fully content with letting the world pass me by like I meant nothing to it. Everyone was being themselves, except for me.

It wasn’t until you got in contact with me when I started feeling like I could be a part of the world again. Your constant reassurance, boundless energy, and endless helpfulness helped me see that I am allowed to be part of the world again. However, it’s been a while, so I want to get more accustomed to it. I want to see how people have changed.”

“So, that’s why you’re people watching?” Adrien asked. Marinette nodded. “Heh. Sounds awesome. I’m not fully used to people either just yet, so I’ll be glad to join you.” The two of them sat there, spending hours watching people. Marinette sketched different outfits for different people every so often, and Adrien loved each of them.

When Adrien returned home, he went to Nathalie’s office to try out his voice modulation app. “Hey Nathalie” he said in an altered voice.

Nathalie turned around with a serious look on her face and a stun gun drawn. Adrien put his hands up, one of which was holding his phone with the Cat Noir case. Nathalie lowered the stun gun. “What are you doing?” she asked, exacerbated.

“Well, I can’t keep not talking to people,” Adrien explained. “So I had Marinette make this phone case for me so that I can use this voice modulation app without people recognizing my cell phone.”

Nathalie glared at him and then sighed. She got something out of her drawer. “Here” she said, handing him a headset with a microphone. Adrien was confused. “This is so you can speak through it without having to hold your phone up to you all the time. That way you don’t drop it.”

“Oh” Adrien said.

“Why so disappointed?” Nathalie asked.

“It’s just, I asked Marinette to do this, and now there’s not a good reason to have it anymore,” Adrien said.

Nathalie smiled. “I wouldn't say that.” Adrien looked surprised. “You would still need to take your phone out for things.”

“That’s true…” Adrien said.

“I like that you’re thinking ahead, but please, run your ideas by me next time” Nathalie said. “It’s what I’m here for.”

Adrien nodded. “Thank you Nathalie. Though, I am curious. Why are you doing so much for me on this?”

Nathalie smiled. “When the time comes I will explain everything.”

Adrien was confused. “Well, OK then… I’m going to my room now. I have a Cat Noir assignment tomorrow, and I want to be ready.”

Nathalie nodded. “Good luck.” Adrein went to his room for the night. He was excited, but concerned about this assignment. Still, he chose to accept it, and hopefully he can figure this person out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I was planning on having the entire weekend in this chapter, but I got a lot more out of the photo shoot and the meet-up than I thought I was going to. I realized that it worked really well together, and more would feel bloated and out of place.
> 
> Also, I think I should stop apologizing for the long breaks between updates. My creative endeavors aren't my full-time job, o I shouldn't really worry about going at my own pace. I'm more worried about finishing it though. But I know I want to finish my projects, and I think that should be god enough.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy.


	12. Opening Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter briefly mentions self-harm.

It was Sunday. Adrien had been getting ready. Whoever this mysterious person who wanted to date him but not really would be on the Pont des Arts at four with a purple rose waiting for Cat Noir. He didn’t want to disappoint.

His parents were busy elsewhere, so he headed out in his Cat Noir costume, knowing that Nathalie and his bodyguard would keep his secret. He was cautious about leaving through the gate, but once he made sure no one was around, he made a mad dash and left.

Walking around in full Cat Noir costume seemed to draw some unwanted attention. Nothing he couldn't handle though. He just told people he was out on assignment and they left him alone. He continued on his way to the bridge.

Once he arrived, he checked the time. Thankfully, his custom Cat Noir cover hid his phone very well. “3:54” he said to himself through the voice modulation. “I wonder if they’re here early.” He looked around for anyone with a purple rose. He found it, and the person carrying it shocked Adrien. “No way.” He approached them. “Um, hello.”

They turned around. Sure enough, it was Juleka, one of Adrien’s new classmates. “Oh. Cat Noir. You startled me for a second.”

“Sorry” he said. “But I wouldn’t want anyone to recognize me for my voice when I’m, shall we say, off duty.”

Juleka smiled. “We shall.” She giggled. “This is great so far.”

“Yeah” said Adrien. “So, I don’t assume you had any big plans for this.”

Juleka smiled. “The park is fine. Let’s go.”

“Very well,” said Adrien, giving her his hand. She grabbed it and the two walked to the park together. On their way, they ran into Andre’s kart. “Hey, wanna get some ice cream?”

“From Andre? Always” Juleka said.

The two of them approached. Andre looked up and was shocked. “Cat Noir?! At MY ice cream kart?! I don’t believe it.”

“Well, you better,” Adrien said.

“It’s no surprise. Yours is the best ice cream in all of Paris” Juleka said. Adrien had to suppress a question about that. If he gave any indication that this was his first time at Andre’s, then it would be game over.

“Well then, what will it be?” Andre said.

Juleka had to think for a moment. Adrien turned to Andre and said ”Surprise me.”

Andre looked Adrien over. “Ah! I’ve got just the thing for you!” He began whipping up his creation. “Strawberry with black chocolate chip! Blackberries for her hair! And blueberry ice cream, just like her sky-blue stare!”

Adrien looked at the ice cream, amazed. It kind of reminded him of Marinette, and the strawberry with black chocolate chips looked kind of like a Ladybug, Marinette’s fashion moniker. He smiled. “Thank you Andre.”

Julkea saw how much Adrin was amazed with his ice cream that she decided to let go of her inhibitions for now. “I’ll just take the usual.”

“Certainly” Andre said. “Cotton candy, bubblegum, and peach, what a treat! A bold and bright flavor, and really sweet.”

Juleka took it and smiled. “Thank you Andre.”

They started to leave, but Andre stopped them. “Wait!” They looked back. “If it’s possible, could I get a picture of Cat Noir here?”

Adrien smiled. “Of course. Your ice cream is the best in all of Paris after all.”

Adiren and Andre posed for a picture. “Wonderful! Thank you again, Cat Noir!”

“My pleasure” Adrien said. He then headed off with Juleka. They arrived at the park and sat on the bench. Adrien took a bite. _Oh my goodness! This really IS the best ice cream in all of Paris!_

“I see you’re enjoying your ice cream,” Juleka said.

“Yeah, it’s great!” Adrien said.

Juleka giggled. “No surprise there.” She continued to eat her ice cream. “So, can you tell?”

Adrien looked at her. “Tell what?”

“Who is it you like?” Juleka said. Adrien started choking on his ice cream. He managed to clear his throat on his own. “Sorry. I guess that was a bit sudden. But it is Andre after all. His sweethearts ice cream has this mysterious power to see who you like.”

“Right…” Adrien said. “Speaking of, this is supposed to be a date, right?”

Juleka was surprised now. She then got a bit melancholy. “Yeah.”

“On the site, you said you wanted to practice dating boys because you couldn’t tell the girl you like that you like her” Adrien added.

“Yeah” Juleka said. “And so far, this has been going great. If all boys were like you, I could get used to it.”

Adrien frowned. “I don’t want you to ‘get used to it’” he said. “Why don’t you feel comfortable coming out to your friend? Or anyone, it seems?”

Juleka got nervous. “I just… I don't want to lose her” she said.

“What makes you think you’ll lose her?” Adrien asked.

Juleka sighed. “She likes someone else. A boy. If I said anything, I don’t know how she would react. Would she even like me?”

Adrien looked at her ice cream. “Well, judging from the numerous shades of pink, I’d say the person you like seems rather cheerful.”

Juleka looked at him. She smiled. “She is. She’s amazing. She gives me energy when I think I’ve run out. She’s helped me time and time again.” She sighed, putting her ice cream down. “But…”

Adrien put his ice cream down, and gently placed his hand on hers. “I know. However this, what you were aiming to do today, that isn’t the right option.”

Juleka started crying. “I know” Her tears dropped steadily. “I know, I just… I don’t know what to do.”

Adrien looked at his classmate. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “That’s why I’m here. I’m here to help.”

Juleka turned in and hugged him, crying evermore. Once she stopped, she said “Sorry.”

Adrien smiled. “It’s OK. I invited it. But more importantly, how are you feeling?”

Juleka sniffed. ”Well, it still hurts, but after letting it all out, I feel a little better.” “I’m glad to hear that,” said Adrien. “Listen, I can’t speak about what it’s like to be gay, because I’m not. But I do know a thing or two about feeling alone.”

Juleka looked at him curiously. “Go on.”

“It’s the worst feeling I think I’ve ever experienced” he continued. “I felt like nothing I could do could reach out to anyone. I could cry, yell, even hurt myself in some way, and no one would know. It’s not a good feeling.”

“Huh” Juleka said. “I didn’t know you felt like that, Mr. Bigshot Heroman.”

Adrien smiled wryly. “Everyone can feel like that. I just don’t want them to. That’s what caught my attention on Noir Notes. A lot of people asked for help, but yours felt like a literal cry. I can’t just ignore that.”

“Right,” Juleka said. “So, what do I do?”

“Well, there are a few things,” Adrien said. “For one, talking to me has helped somewhat, right?” Juleka nodded. “So, why not talk to more people? It doesn’t have to be the girl you like. It could be anyone.”

“Hm” Juleka said. “I guess I could try again.” She sighed. “The person I used to tell these things to turned out to be bad.”

Adrien was curious. “How so?”

Juleka sighed again. “She was bullying someone because she was jealous of them.”

“I see” said Adrien, realizing she means Marinette.

“It was so weird too,” Juleka said. “She never acted like that before that other person came to school. And when that other person wasn’t there, everything seemed fine.” She sighed once more. “I don’t know.”

Adrien felt like she almost had it, but decided not to press further, since she had something else to deal with. And who knows, maybe she’ll get it when she’s ready. He spoke up. “Well, if you ever want to talk, you could always just post to Noir Notes again.”

Juleka looked at him and smiled. “As much as I’d like to, I don’t want to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble,” Adrien said.

Juleka giggled. “Still, I already have some ideas on who I want to talk to.”

“I see. Well, good luck with that” Adrien said. “By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, how do you know this girl you like wouldn’t go out with you instead of that guy?”

“Hm. Because the guy she likes is Prince Ali. Probably the most amazing guy out there” Juleka said.

Adrien was shocked. “The crown prince of the Kingdom of Achu?” he asked.

“Yup. Not that other Prince Ali” Juleka said.

“Right, no, I get that,” Adrien said. “But it just seems like a pipe dream at best.”

“You say that,” Juleka began to explain, “but you remember that person that was bullied?” Adrien nodded. “She knows Prince Ali personally, and promised to introduce him to her the next time he’s in Paris.”

“I see,” Adrien said. “Well, you never know. What might happen if that were to happen. Truth is oftentimes stranger than fiction.”

Juleka laughed. “Yeah. ‘I talked with a guy dressed as a cat, and now I feel better about myself’ is a weird sentence to utter.”

Adrien pouted. “While I appreciate the sentiment, I didn’t need the sarcastic jab.”

“Sorry,” Juleka said. She giggled.

Adrien smiled. “Well, we should at least finish our ice cream,” he said.

“Right” agreed Juleka. They picked their ice cream up and finished it. “Man, I never get sick of Andre’s ice cream. It just makes me feel good, you know?”

“Boy, do I feel it,” Adrien said.

Juleka looked at him. “So, Cat Noir. Did you ever do it?”

Adrien was confused. “So what?”

Juleka looked like she was walking on eggshells. “You said that you felt like you could hurt yourself in some way and no one would notice. Did you…?”

“Oh” Adrien said. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered it. But I never went through with it.”

“I see,” Juleka said.

Adrien looked at her. “Have you?” he asked.

“No” Juleka said “But again, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it.”

“I see,” said Adrien. He sighed. “Well, I’m glad you called out for help at all. But if things ever get really bad, maybe you should talk to a psychologist. Er, psychiatrist? Both?”

Juleka giggled. “I hadn’t thought about that. I thought that was for people worse off than I am.”

“It’s for anyone,” he said. “So long as you’re willing to ask.”

Juleka smiled. “Thanks. For everything.”

Adrien smiled back. “I should be thanking you.”

Juleka was confused. “How come?”

_Woops. I don’t want to let her know I’m doubtful of Lila._ “For… paying for the ice cream,” he said.

Juleka laughed. “You’re funny, Cat Noir.”

“A lot of people tell me that,” Adrien replied.

She got a more serious look on her face. “Maybe you should take your own advice sometime.”

“Explain,” Adrien said.

“Well, if you feel like that, why not talk about it sometime?” Juleka said.

“Huh. I see” he said. “Sincerely, thanks for that bit of advice.”

“You’re welcome. And thanks again for today,” Juleka said. “I guess I’ll see you around.” Juleka got up and walked off.

“Bye,” said Adrien. He texted Nathalie about his success and asked if he can walk back in as easily as he went out. Nathalie told him his parents were back, so she was sending his driver.

When he got back, he tested his bodyguard with his costume and then walked over to Nathalie’s office. “Hey Nathalie,” he said.

“Yes Adrien?”

“Do you happen to know when Prince Ali will be coming to Paris next?”

Nathalie looked him over. “Why on Earth do you need that information?”

“Because it’s going to help undo the damage Lila has done,” Adrien explained.

“I’ll look into it,” Nathalie said.

“Thank you,” he said. He left for his room, passing his bodyguard on the way there.

The bodyguard walked into Nathalie’s office. “And what do you want?” she asked. The bodyguard continued to stare. “You want me to tell Adrien why I’m so invested in this, don’t you?” He nodded. “I’ll tell him when he’s ready.” The bodyguard stepped closer. “You want me to tell him now?” He nodded.

Nathalie sighed. “Look. I can’t. You know why I can’t.” The bodyguard continued to stare. “It’s not just because of that, you know. I really am interested in Adrien as a person. He’s one of the most magnificent people I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting. I don’t want him to think I’m being selfish.” The bodyguard relaxed a little and opened his arms. “Heh. I could use one of those now.” She hugged him, and he closed his arms around her. “Thanks.”

Meanwhile, Adrien began chatting with Marinette. “Hey. I helped out Juleka today” Adrien began.

“Really?” Marinette inquired. “Well, thank you. What did you talk about?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss.”

“Oh I get it.”

“Get what?”

“Nevermind. How did it go with the phone?”

“Well, Nathalie gave me a headset to talk through.”

“Oh.”

“But I still have it on for whenever I need to check the time or message someone. So it all worked out.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that.”

“I also tried Andre's for the first time today. It was excellent.”

“You tried Andre’s for the FIRST TIME?! Man, you are sheltered.”

“You don’t have to tell me. Say, is it true that the ice cream knows who you like?”

“Well, kind of? It’s more Andre than the ice cream itself. He gets a feeling in his heart after he looks you over. It’s uncanny.”

“And this is proven?”

“Uh uh. My dad proposed to my mom with Andre's ice cream even.”

“Well, good for them. I bet it was delicious.”

“No kidding. Mom was so taken in, she almost ate the ring.”

“LOL”

“So, did your ice cream remind you of anyone?”

The question came as a shock to Adrien. It did remind him of Marinette, but he didn’t like her like that, did he? I mean, they only just met, right? He had heard of love at first sight, but that seemed more like something out of a fairy tale. He remained awkward, but simply gave the answer “No.”

“Huh” Marinette replied. “Well, I’m sure you’ll find someone you like.”

“Thanks.”

“Good night Adrien.”

“Good night.”

The next day, Adrien was at school. He was about to sit down when he was approached by Juleka. “Oh. Hey Juleka. What’s up?”

Juleka seemed nervous. “Um, could we go someplace private?”

Adrien was confused. “Um, sure? What’s this about?”

“Well, you seemed to help Ivan out,” Juleka said. “I was thinking you could do the same for me.”

“Oh. Of course” Adrien said. The two walked to someplace private. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

Juleka hesitated for a moment. “The truth is… I’m a lesbian.”

“Oh” said Adrien.

Juleka looked at him, confused. “You don’t seem surprised.”

Adrien seemed puzzled, but then remembered she told Cat Noir this, not Adrien, so to her, he didn’t know. “Oh. OOOOOOO-”

“You don’t have to do that for my sake” Juleka said.

“Sorry,” Adrien said.

Juleka smiled. “It’s OK. When I told my brother and my mom last night, they seemed to know as well.”

“I see,” said Adrien. “So, why come to me with this?”

“Well, like I said, you helped Ivan,” Juleka explained. “Also, I talked with Cat Noir about this yesterday. He told me I should tell more people.”

“And you came to me?” Adrien asked.

Juleka smiled. “You just seem like a really chill guy. Not tainted by the minutiae of school life. I kind of need someone like that.”

“Well, thanks, I guess” Adrien said. “So, do you like anyone in particular, or…?”

Juleka hesitated for a bit. “Rose.”

“Oh. I see” Adrien said.

“But she likes someone else,” Juleka said. “I can’t compete with them.”

Adrien smiled. “You don’t know that for sure,” he said. Juleka looked up. “I mean, go at your own pace, definitely. However, when I’m modeling, I sometimes think I can't compete with some of the other models there. But I try to have confidence in myself. It’s the only thing I can do.”

Juleka smiled. “See, this is what I mean. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome” Adrien laughed nervously.

“Well, we should get to class,” Juleka said.

“Right,” Adrien said. The two of them walked back to class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, usually when I'm writing ML fanfics, I tend to make the distinction between civilian and hero, but I don't make that distinction here. It feels weird for me to do, because while he is Cat Noir in a sense, he's not Cat Noir proper, if that makes sense. But it can also seem confusing when he's talking with other people who aren't supposed to know his identity. So, I wanna know what you think? When he's on duty, she I refer to him as Adrien, or Cat Noir?
> 
> Also, I'd like to ask, would you say self-harm gives it a T rating? Personally, I say no, because I think it's important for kids to understand difficult things, but that's just me. Then again, I'm not entirely sure who cares about the rating system on AO3. I do because I like things organized in certain ways, and I also like knowing what I'm getting into, and mislabeling that trips me up. I'll ask for your help on this as well, and it is something I'd like to explore more in this fic.


	13. No Boundaries

After school ended, Nino looked at his phone and sighed deeply. Adrien noticed this. He put his arm around his friend. “What’s up?” he asked.

Nino looked at him with a smile. He sighed. “It’s complicated,” he told him. “My boss wants me to come in early today for an all-staff meeting.”

Adrien seemed confused. “So, what’s the problem?” he asked.

“Well, I was supposed to watch my little brother until my mom gets back from work” Nino answered. Nino got another alert. “And he’s here now. I’m just going to have to walk him over to the after school care building.”

“I can watch him,” Adrien offered.

“Oh no,” Nino said. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but you’re still getting used to regular humans. No way am I going to unleash a little monster on you.”

“Why not? I like Fred Savage” Adrien replied.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Nino asked.

“Oh yeah. I guess you wouldn’t get that reference” Adrien said. Nino looked at him confused. “See, there’s this old movie called ‘Little Monsters’ and it stars Fred Savage” he explained. Nino still seemed clueless. “Just one of the many benefits of growing up alone.”

Nino hugged Adrien. “It’s OK dude” He said. He stopped hugging him. “Maybe you can invite me over and we can watch it together.”

“That’s OK,” Adrien said. “It’s...not that great…”

“Even better,” Nino said. “We could totally MST3K it then!”

“Wait, you know about MST3K?” Adrien asked.

“Well, from the revival” Nino said. “But my mom did show me some of the classics afterwards.”

“I see,” Adrien said.

Nino got another alert. “Oh crap, it’s Chris. He’s probably getting impatient. We’ll continue this another time.” Adrien and Nino walked out.

When they got to the front of the school, Chris spotted them immediately. “Where were you?!” he demanded.

“Sorry Chris,” Nino said. “I was just talking to my new bro, Adrien.”

“It’s OK,” said a voice. Adrien turned to see that it was Lila. “I saw him waiting here and figured you were a little busy.”

“Oh, thanks Lila,” Nino said.

“So, where are we going today?!” Chris asked, excitedly.

Nino looked downtrodden. “Sorry Chris. But I got called into work early today. You’re going to have to go to after school care.”

Chris got grumpy. “You ALWAYS do this!” he yelled.

“Sorry” Nino said. “I can’t help it.”

Chris continues to simmer in anger. “Now now” Lila said. “It’s not like he WANTED to do this. He’s just busy is all.” Chris groaned. “He’s doing this to help you all out, right?”

Chris’s anger gave out. “Yeah. You’re right” he relented. “I was just so excited about today.”

Nino smiled. “I’ll make it up to you some other time,” he said. “I promise.”

“Well, if you promise…” Chris said.

“Alright then. Let’s go!” Nino said.

“Right,” Chris said. He turned to Lila. “Oh Uh, thanks for helping me out with my problem.”

Lila smiled. “It’s quite alright.” Adrien didn’t quite like that look on her face.

“Come on Chris,” Nino said. “I don’t want to be late.”

“Coming!” Chris said. He rushed to his brother.

Adrien smiled. “I’ll join you,” he said.

“It’s fine,” Nino said.

“I insist,” Adrin said.

“Well, suit yourself,” Nino said. The three of them started walking together. Nino looked at Chris. “By the way, what did Lila help you with?”

“Oh. I was just wondering how to deal with a bad person” Chris said.

“I see,” Nino said. “Well, if she did that, I gotta thank her the next time I see her.”

Adiren grew lost in thought. _Is this person bad? I mean, it IS Lila we’re talking about here. Then again, a broken clock is right twice a day. Besides, Lila does have to keep up the appearance of being nice. So she might do some good things._

The three of them arrived at the care center. “Here we are,” Nino said. “I gotta check Chris in, and then it’s off to work.” Adrien nodded. “Let’s go.” He took Chris in.

Adrien waited outside. He saw someone walk out. Nadja Chamack. It was then that an awful thought occurred. _Could that bad person be…? It can’t be, right?_ He thought it over some more. _Chris never specified who this “bad person” was, if anyone specific. Still, Chris is a bit rambunctious, and Lila would do a lot to hurt Marinette. But would she go this far?_ He looked at the building. _I can’t risk it not being an option._

Nino came out. “OK. He’s all set. Let’s go.”

“Actually Nino, something just came up on my end” Adrien said. “You go on ahead. I don’t want to keep you from work.”

Nino seemed confused, but said “Well, OK. I’m going to make it up to you as well.”

Adrien smiled. “I’ll hold you to it.” NIno ran off. Adrien raced off in a different direction soon after.

_A little bit later, he was running towards the after school center as Cat Noir. If something were to happen... I hope I’m not too late!_ He kept running. He made his way to the outside area and saw his worst nightmares coming to fruition. Chris had backed Manon into a corner, and he looked serious. He made a mad dash and hopped the fence. “Woah woah woah!” he said, modulator on. “What’s going on here?”

The two kids stopped in shock and looked at Adrien. “Cat Noir?” Chris said. Manon rushed to hide behind Adrien. “What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?!” Manon said. “He’s here to protect me!”

“But how?” Chris said. “How would he know to protect you.”

“Because he and I have a special connection!” Manon argued.

_Kids do have such an imagination_ Adrien thought.

Chris hissed. “Well, you’re only protecting a bad person!” he yelled. He made a motion to crack his knuckles, but they didn’t actually crack.

Adrien panicked. “Settle down Chris.”

Chris stopped and stared at him in awe. “How do you know my name?”

“Well, uh…” Adrien said. _I messed up._

“Duh!” Manon said. “It’s GOT to be one of his superpowers. He could probably tell you the name of anyone here.”

_Thanks Manon._

“Really…” Chris said sceptically. He looked around and pointed at another young girl. “What’s her name?”

Adrien was nervous. He decided to try and make a joke of it. “...Jean?”

Chris looked at him. “Wow. You really DO have super powers!”

_That worked?!_

Chris glared back at Manon. “But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s bad!”

“Woah woah woah woah woah” Adrien said, trying to calm Chris. “What makes you so sure she’s bad?”

“She’s protecting someone bad!” Chris argued.

_I knew it._ “Who is she protecting?”

“Our old babysitter,” Chris said.

_So. Marinette babysat for Chris too. I guess that makes sense._

“Marinette didn’t do anything wrong!” Manon shouted.

“She bullied someone so much she made her cry for a day!” Chris fired back.

“SHE DID NOT!” Manon scrambled.

“OK OK, calm down,” Adrien said. “Let’s just think here. Now Chris,” Chris looked at him, “whether or not she did do that, is what you’re doing an appropriate response?”

Chris looked at his hand. “Well, she’s a bad guy! And bad guys need to be defeated!”

“From the sounds of it, it’s this babysitter that you say is bad,” Adrien said. “Did Manon bully that person?”

“Well, no…” Chris said. “But she’s supporting her!”

“But she’s not hurting anyone, is she?” Adrien asked.

Chris thought about it. “Well, I just talked with her. The girl that got bullied, I mean. She said that whenever someone praises our old babysitter, she can’t help but feel pain.”

Adrien looked serious. “I know how hard it is to deal with something like that,” he said, “but is this going to help her?”

Chris seemed frustrated. “I thought if I could punish evil, I’d be a hero. Like you.”

“Corning someone and intimidating them doesn’t sound like a hero now, does it?” Adrien asked. Chris finally relented and shook his head. Adrien smiled. “There you go.”

Chris smiled back. “Thank you. For stopping me.” He looked off.

“What’s wrong?” Adrien asked.

“I was just thinking” Chris said. “If you had been around earlier, you could have stopped the bully.”

“She’s NOT a bully!” Manon shouted.

“HEY!” said one of the care center employees.

Adrien looked alert. “Well, I better let them finish helping you out. Seeya!” he saluted and ran off.

Once he got home, he contacted Marinette. “Hey. Something happened.”

“What?” Marinette asked.

Adrien sighed. “Lila crossed a line.”

“!! What did she do?”

“She manipulated Nino’s little bother Chris to attack Manon.”

“!!”

“Don’t worry. I stepped in before it got too far.” No response. “I had to leave because one of the supervisors came out. But I think I got through to Chris.” Still nothing. “Are you OK?”

“OK.”

“OK what?”

“I’ve made a decision. If it’s for the purposes of defeating Lila, you can tell people who I am.”

“Really?!” Adrien replied.

“Yes.”

“So, anyone as long as they’re helping me defeat Lila? Even if by chance that person was Chloe?”

“I don’t care. Lila’s mad at me? That’s fine. She wants to destroy my parents? They can defend themselves. But Manon? Manon is completely defenseless. What kind of person would I be if I just let Lila trample all over her life before it can even truly begin? I have a means of dealing with her, so I need to take it before something even worse happens.”

Adrien smiled rebelliously. “I can see why Manon really likes you.”

“So you’re going to tell Chloe?”

“Well, and Kagami. She’s already been helping me out a little.”

“That’s fine. ANYTHING to expose Lila.”

“On your command, my lady. It might take a bit of time, since Chloe can be a tough nut to crack sometimes. Also, I want to see how things play out with Chris.”

“Understandable. Thank you for saving Manon.”

“It’s what a hero does.”

“He he. Goodnight Adrien.”

“Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I balanced the serious and funny well enough. I wanted it to be mostly serious, but with a tinge of humor. Although speaking of, I sometimes add bits that have nothing to do with anything. I think that whole Little Monsters conversation could have been cut, but I think it adds a little character that you might not get otherwise. The reason I bring it up is because my roommate and I were discussing Cardcaptor Sakura and he doesn't like it because they spend a lot of time on the everyday life aspect instead of the magic aspect, which is one of the reasons I like the show. Just a bit of introspection on my part.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy.


	14. Closing the Distance

The next day, Adrien checked Noir Notes. Sure enough, his exploits at the after school care building have been chronicled. “Boy, Alya is really dedicated.” He looked it over to see if there was anything from after he left. “From the looks of things, they seemed to have at least settled down. I think I should talk to Nino about this though.”

At school, Adrien entered the classroom and saw Nino sitting down with his head in his hands. “Hey Nino” Adrien said.

Nino looked up. “Oh. Hey dude” he said less than enthusiastically.

Adrien was sure Nino was like this because of what happened. He had to be careful, but he needed to be direct. “So, I saw what happened.” Nino juttered. “Listen, I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Nino said. “You have nothing to apologize for.” He sighed.

Adrien sheepishly grinned. He sat down. “Listen, I know that this can’t be easy, but if you need to talk about it, I’m here.”

Nino smiled. He looked down. “It’s just… Chris has never been easy to deal with. I’m afraid that with all of this, he’ll have even more trouble making friends. And,” he sighed, “I know this is going to sound selfish, but I’m also afraid that this is going to reflect poorly on me and my mom. Like we did a bad job.” He sighed. “I wonder if he’d be better off with some other family after all.”

Adrien was concerned for his friend, as well as his little brother. Still, there wasn’t a lot he could pull from, having just broken free into the outside world. However, there was something that Adrien could relate with. “Well, try imagining how Chris feels.”

Nino seemed confused. “How he feels?”

“Yeah,” Adrien said. “I can’t speak for having a brother, but I know a thing or two about representing a name. I am the face of my father’s fashion company after all. My father always tells me to be careful, and what to do and not to do.”

“That sounds kind of lame” Nino said.

Adrien giggled. “It kind of is,” he said. “But I do it because I don’t want people thinking he’s bad because I acted out.”

Nino had a look of realization on his face. “Huh. I hadn’t thought about that before.” He got lost in thought. “I guess none of this has been easy on him either.”

“Well, according to Alya’s post, he did say he wanted to be a hero.” Adrien said.

“That’s true,” Nino replied. “Ugh!”

“What’s wrong?” Adrien asked.

Nino sighed. “We kind of got into last night. While this has been helpful, I doubt he’d be willing to listen to me right now.” His face landed on his desk. “I don’t know what to do.”

Adrien looked at his friend. “Well, maybe there’s something you can do to entice him. You know, butter him up beforehand.”

Nino looked up. “Yeah, but what could I d-” He then had a flash of inspiration. He then got out his phone and started feverishly typing away.

Adrien was curious. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“Well, I know this is a longshot,” Nino said, “but maybe if I can get Cat Noir to talk to him with me, he might open up more.”

Adrien was shocked. “Uh, what makes you say that?”

Nino got embarrassed. “Well...uh...when we got into our screaming match last night...he kind of wished Cat Noir was his brother instead of me.”

“Oh” Adrien said. “It sounds like things got heated.”

Nino chuckled. “You don’t know the half of it.” He sent the request on Noir Notes. “And done!”

Adrien said “I’d come up with a plan B just in case.”

Nino smiled. “I already thought that out. I think it'll be alright either way.”

“Well, here’s hoping,” Adrien said. _I should check out the post as soon as I can._

As people came into class, Nino received a lot of looks. Not bad looks, per say, just concerned. Nino just had to sit there and endure it. Then Lila came in. She looked hesitantly at Nino and then approached him. “Hey Nino. I’m sorry about what happened” she said.

Nino sighed. “Don’t worry. It’s not your fault.”

“But I still feel bad,” she replied. “Chris just came to me for advice, and I just spoke from the heart. I didn’t mean for it to go like this.”

Adrien turned his head. He couldn’t hide the utter disgust he had for Lila during all of this. He knew Lila wasn’t as nice as she seemed, but this was a low even he couldn’t comprehend. In his turn he saw Chloe pretending to gag as she looked at Lila’s “apology.” Adrien shifted his eyes up to Lila. She was finishing up with Nino and then she glanced at Chloe, who quickly pretended she wasn’t gagging and instead reading.

Lila smirked. She turned her attention back to Nino. “Well, I hope things go well with you and Chris.”

Nino smiled. “Thanks Lila.” Lila waved and took her seat. Adrien noticed that for a split second, Lila’s face was filled with utter contempt. Soon after, class began.

During lunch, Chloe got up from her seat with Sabrina. As she was about to leave, Adrien appeared in front of her. “Hey Chloe.”

“Adrien?! What are you doing here?”

“I was kind of hoping we could talk for a minute,” he said. “You know, as friends.”

Chloe was shocked. She seemed like she didn’t know what to do. Sabrina just smiled and said “It’s OK Chloe. I’ll just go sit with Lila today.” She walked off.

Chloe was completely aghast. “Um, are you alright Chloe?” Adrien asked.

“Huh? Uh yeah. I'm fine” she said, non-convincingly. “An-anyway, what did you want to talk about? Ugh. Whatever it is, can you make it quick?”

Adrien looked around. “Not here. Follow me.” Adrien walked off. Chloe seemed confused. She rushed to meet him.

“Where are we going?” she asked. Adrien remained cautious.“Why is this taking so long? What do you need to talk about?”

Once Adrien found a secluded enough place he stopped. “OK. We’re good.”

“Good for what?” Chloe asked. “Honestly Adrien, what’s this all abou-”

“Chloe. Do you not like Lila?” Adrien asked. Chloe froze. She began sputtering random nonsense and fidgeting with her hair. “Chloe. We’re friends. We should be able to trust each other with anything.”

“Well, um…” Chloe said. “E-easy for you to say! You’re Mr. Perfect. I know all of your secrets, and none of them would ruin you completely.”

Adrien grinned. “You don’t know all of my secrets.”

Chloe was taken aback. “What?!”

“It’s true,” Adrien said. “I have a new secret.”

“TELL ME!” Chloe demanded.

“I will,” Adrien said. “Once you tell me how you feel about Lila.” Chloe pouted. “Isn’t that how we’ve always done things?”

Chloe glared at him. “Well, if we want to do this how we’ve ALWAYS done it, we need to go to one of our places.”

“Ah yes, the secrets exchange,” Adrien said. “Well, I think I’ll have time after fencing tomorrow if you want to come over.”

Chloe was curious. “OK then Agreste!” She reached her hand out. Adrien shook it. “You’re on!” Chloe left.

Adrien just smiled and laughed. “It’s amusing in the ways she doesn’t change.” He took out his phone. “Now let’s see what Nino has to say.”

Adrien looked at the request. “Hey Cat Noir. I’m the brother of the kid you stopped recently. After that, things got intense. I want to make it up to him, but I feel like I need yourself with that. Meet in in the Place des Vosges sometime after school over the next three days.” Adrien smiled.

After school, Nino was sitting on a park bench, nervously wondering what was going to happen. “Hello” said a distorted voice.

Nino looked. “Cat Noir?”

“Hey” Adrien said.

Nino snickered. “What’s up with that voice?”

“Well, I’ve gotta make sure no one recognizes me” Adrien said. He casually sat down.

“Pfft. Like I’d know who you are” Nino said.

_Well, it seems to be working._ “So, you need help with your brother.”

NIno looked at the ground. “Yeah. And I feel like he’d be more willing to listen to you.”

“How come?” Adrien asked.

“Well, he listened to you before,” Nino said. “Beides, we kind of had a shouting match last night.” He sighed. “I want to make it up to him, but I don’t know how.”

Adrien was concerned. Even though Lila failed to punish Manon for believing in Marinette, she still succeeded in dividing Nino and his brother. He wasn’t even sure if that was a goal of hers. It was probably just some unintended aftermath that she didn’t care about as long as she got what she wanted. He put his hand on Nino’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll help.”

Nino looked up and smiled. “Thanks Cat Noir. Come on. We have to get one more thing.” Adrien nodded and the two walked off.

The door swung open to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. “Oh, hello,” Sabine said. She was shocked. “Nino?”

“Uh, hi” he said, nervously. He stepped further in, Adrien behind him.

“Cat Noir?” Sabine said. “What’s going on?”

“He’s, uh, kind of helping me,” Nino said.

Tom approached the duo. “What do you want?” he asked, intimidatingly.

“Well, um, well sir, uh” Nino muttered. Adrien put his hand on his shoulder. Nino looked at him and nodded. “Could...Could I please get a couple of scones.” The couple looked confused. “See, um I kind of got into a fight with my brother yesterday, and his scones-your scones have always been his favorite.” The owners continued to look at the nervous Nino. “I’d, uh, I’d understand if you didn’t want to take business from me, but I, uh”

Sabine smiled. “Of course son.” Nino was confused.

“We’ll gladly help you out,” Tom said. He went back and started to work on the scones.

Nino was further confused. “Um, I thought you guys didn’t like me. Because of, well, you know…”

Sabine looked concerned. “Well, it’s true that we don’t like what happened between you and Marinette. But right now you’re looking to patch things up with your brother. And that tells me you have a good heart. So of course we’ll help out.”

“Huh...thanks,” said Nino.

“Besides, you brought our favorite customer with you,” Tom said. “We can’t say no to the person that saved our store..

“Heh heh, yeah” Nino said. He looked at Adrien. “Make it three scones.” Sabine nodded.

Soon, the scones were finished. “Here you go,” Sabine said.

Nino paid them. “Thank you” he said, grabbing the bag and tipping his hat. The boys walked out of the bakery. “Alright, let’s go!”

The two continued to Nino’s place. They walked in. Chris was there playing with some toys. “Ahem,” Nino said. Chris looked up to see his brother with some scones. Christ turned his back.

“Chris,” Adrien said.

Chris turned around. “Cat Noir? What are you doing here?”

“Well, your brother reached out to me because he needed help,” Adrien said. “He wants to make things up with you.”

Chris huffed. “Well, tell him I don’t want to!”

“Chris…” Nino said. He took out a scone and approached his brother “I got you your favorite.”

Chris looked curiously. “Wait… That IS my favorite” he said. “But I thought we weren’t supposed to go there anymore.”

Nino blushed. “Well, I mean, Cat Noir goes there,” he said. “I figured if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for us.”

Chris grabbed the scone and bit into it. “MMMMMMMMM. It’s better than I remembered.”

Nino chuckled. He sighed. “Listen Chris. I’m sorry about last night.” Chris looked up. “I should have been more considerate of how you were feeling. I know you were concerned about Lila and Manon supporting Marinette, but I was so focused on my own stuff that I didn’t hear you out. To be honest, I’m a little more mad at myself.”

Chris was confused. Nino continued. “I was called into work early after promising to spend time with you. I can’t count the number of times something like that has happened. I’m just afraid of being a bad big brother. I worry that I’m not there for you enough.” He began crying. “When you said that Cat Noir would make a better big brother, I was worried that you were right.”

Chris looked concerned at his crying brother. “Um, I’m sorry too,” he said. Nino looked up. “I...I’m always scared that I’m dragging everyone down. You only have that job because of me. Same with mom working all the time. I figured if I did something I could be useful, you know. That way I’m not just a burden.”

Nino was shocked. He hugged Chris. “You’re not a burden,” he said. “You are, and will always be my little bro.”

Chris began crying. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s OK,” Nino replied. “It’ll always be OK.”

Adien saw this moment of brotherly affection and decided that it was time for him to leave. He walked out of the building and started making his way home. “CAT NOIR!” NIno called out. Adrien turned around. Nino ran up to him, with Chris not too far behind. “You forgot your scone.”

Adrien was surprised, but took his scone. “Thank you.”

“You can come and join us, you know” Chris said.

Adrien smiled. “Thanks, but I’d rather leave you two be. It seems like you need some time to yourselves.”

They smiled. “Thanks Cat Noir.” Adrien smiled and walked off, eating his scone.

After his Chinese lesson later that day, he logged on to see a message from Marinette. “So, I heard you stopped at the bakery today.”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“Nino and Chris got into a fight. Nino asked me to help patch things up, and Nino stopped by to pick up some scones.”

“He he. Those were always his favorite. How did things go?”

“They went well. Of course, most of it was Nino and Chris themselves, but I happily helped start the conversation.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Listen, I’m going to tell Chloe and possibly Kagami tomorrow at my place. Would you be interested in speaking with them as well?”

“Hmmm. I’ll think about it.”

“Great. Talk to you later.”

“Later.”

Adrien got up and went to bed. Before he fell asleep, he thought about Nino and Chris. _Despite everything that happened, I’m glad everything turned out alright. It’s a good thing those two are so close. I kind of wish I had something like that. Well, I guess I do talk with Marinette every day. But that seems different. I’m not sure how though. Oh well. He drifted off to sleep._


	15. Come Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I decided to pull the trigger and add swearing. There's no going back now. I'm sticking with the T rating. I guess I always was, but this feels definitive in some way.

Adrien woke up the next morning. He got himself ready and checked his messages. He saw Marinette had dropped him a line. “Alright. I think I will try and make an appearance. Not physically, but we can video chat or something.”

Adrien smiled and messaged back “Sounds good.” He grabbed his things, ate breakfast, and headed off to school.

After school, everyone was packing up. Adrien walked up to Chloe. “Hey Chloe” he said.

“Oh, Adrien,” Chloe said. “I thought you had fencing today.”

“I do,” Adrien replied. “I’m just here to tell you that it’s OK for you to come over before I’m done.”

“Ugh, like I didn’t know that” Chloe said.

“Just making sure” Adrien responded. Chloe walked off. Adrien texted Nathalie “Chloe’s coming over, as well as maybe a new friend. I’m planning on bringing them in on everything.”

Nathalie responded with a simple “Sounds good.” Adrien went off to fencing.

After fencing was over, he changed back into his regular clothes. He then waited for Kagami. “Hey Kagami!”

“Adrien?” Kagami said, confused. “What’s going on?”

Adrien smiled. “I was wondering if you could come over today.”

“Why?” Kagami asked.

“I just thought you might be interested in my secret technique” Adrien inferred.

Kagami understood, smiled, and said “Alright. I’ll call my mom and tell her.”

“Great,” Adrien said. “My driver should be here any minute.”

Kagami got on her phone and Adrien checked his. He got a message from Nathalie. “Chloe is here already. She’s waiting for you in your room.”

“Thanks,” Adrien replied. Adrien’s ride pulled up. “Here we are Kagami.”

“Well then, let’s go,” she said. The two of them entered the car. “I can’t wait to know what your secret is.”

“Believe me, my secret is also exciting,” Adrien said, confusing Kagami. They arrived at Adrien’s. “Hey Nathalie. This is Kagami.”

“Hello, Miss Kagami,” Nathalie said.

Kagami raised her eyebrow. “You call your mom by her name?”

“Oh, no,” Adrien said, slightly embarrassed, along with Nathalie. “Nathalie isn’t my mother. She’s my father’s secretary.”

“Oh. I’m sorry” Kagami said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nathalie said.

“Thank you,” Kagami said.

“Well, let’s go,” Adrien said. Adrien and Kagami made it to Adrien’s door. “Um, before we enter there might be some complications.”

“Complications how?” Kagami inquired.

“Well, you’ll see,” Adrien said. He opened the door and walked in.

Chloe got up and said “About time.”

“Hey Chole,” Adrien said, walking in with Kagami following behind him.

“Ah. I see” Kagami said.

Chloe was surprised. “What is SHE doing here?” she demanded. “This was supposed to be OUR time!”

“Now now Chloe,” Adrien said. “I invited her for a reason.”

“Well, if she’s here, I’M not going to say anything,” Chloe said.

“Aw, c’mon Chloe” Adrien said. “If you’ll do it, I’ll throw in another secret.”

Chloe’s ear perked. “You have ANOTHER secret? I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, I get that. The secret IS pretty unbelievable” Adrien said, hoping that would do the trick.

Chloe looked at him. “Fine. But if it’s underwhelming, I’ll… Well, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I’ll think of something.”

“I’m sure you will,” Adrien said. “Now, let’s start with you.”

“Oh no” Chloe said. “You know the rules.”

“Chloe… You know I always win” Adrien said.

“Not this time!” Chloe said. “I can feel it.”

“I just wanted to save you the embarrassment” Adrien said. “But fine. Let’s do this.” He held up his fist.

Chloe held up her first. In unison, they chimed “Rock, paper, scissors!” Chloe threw out paper, Adrien threw out scissors.

Chloe was shocked. Adrien smiled “Like I said, I always win.”

“How?” Chloe said.

“I’m just lucky,” Adrien said.

“You shouldn’t lie to your friend like that,” Kagami said. Adrien looked at her. She walked up to Chloe. “The reason he always wins is because you slow down ever so slightly on the one you’re going to choose, and Adrien picked up on that.”

Chloe looked at Adrien. “Is this true?”

“Well, uh, you see…” Adrien stammered

“You cheating fuck!” Chloe said, pounding her fists against him as he tried defending himself.

“Ow. Ow. OK, I’m sorry Chloe” Adrien apologized. Chloe pouted. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll reveal one of the secrets I have first.”

“Fine,” Chloe said.

“Is this the secret you were telling me about?” Kagami asked.

“Not quite,” Adrien said. “But they are related.”

“So, what is it then?” Chloe sneered.

“I think it’s better if I just showed you,” Adrien said. He went to his bag and fished out his costume and put it on. Both of the girls were shocked. “What do you think?”

Chloe blinked. “You’re… You’re Cat Noir?!”

“Mm hm” Adrien replied.

“But how? And why?” Kagami asked.

“Well, that’s the second secret,” Adrien said. He sat down. “But first, I think we need to hear from Chloe.”

“Me?” Chloe said.

Adrien nodded. “Trust me Chloe, me revealing the second secret is all dependent on your answer. So, what do you think of Lila? Honestly.”

Chloe tensed up. Kagami placed her hand on her shoulder. “It’s OK. You’re among friends” she said.

Chloe relaxed a little. She took a deep breath and said “I hate that bitch.”

Kagami was shocked. “Well that was candid.”

“Nah, that’s just Chloe,” Adrien said. “If anything, it might even be restrained.”

“Why do you hate Lila so much?” Kagami asked.

Chloe sighed. “I guess there’s no point in hiding it. I’ve been wary of her since her feud with Marinette started up.”

“But didn't you tell me you had a feud with Marinette?” Adrien asked.

“Well… that’s different,” Chloe answered. “Look, I KNOW I’m not easy to get along with. And… even though Marinette challenged me every time I tried acting like the Queen Bee, I felt myself… changing.” Kagami and Adrien were shocked. “I don’t know what it is, but seeing her actually helping and supporting everyone made me want to be more like her. I could just never figure out how.”

Adrien smiled. “It’s OK Chloe. You’re just unique. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, the fact that you want to change is a good start,” Kagami said.

Chloe clumsily smiled. “Thanks.” She regained her composure. “But Lila… Lila’s like looking in a dark mirror for me. Like, she’s what I would become if I actually didn’t like people.

Which brings us to why I hate her so much. It all started on the day she got Marinette kicked out of school. Earlier in the day, I saw her placing something in Marinette’s locker. I tried confronting her about it, but…”

“What is it Chloe?” Lila said.

“Don’t play innocent with me, missy!” Chloe sassed. “I saw you plant that necklace in Marinette’s locker!”

“You did, did you?” Lila said.

“Yes, and I’m going to tell everyone!” Chloe said.

“Huh” Lila responded. “I wonder who’s going to believe you.” Chloe seemed puzzled. “Let’s look at the facts. I’m friends with everyone else in class, minus that bitch Marinette. Meanwhile, all you would have is Marinette, who nobody likes, and maybe your little friend. But then again, we’ve been getting closer recently, so who knows if she’ll believe me over you.”

Chloe scowled. “Well, I’ll do it anyway! Let’s see what happens.”

“Yes. Let’s” Lila said sadistically. “It’ll only end with you being more of a pariah than you already are. And you'll be missing the only person who would back you up.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” said Chloe, confused.

Lila smirked. She then sniffled. “You don’t believe me Chloe? It’s true though! But, I guess if I’m going to continue getting bullied here, I might as well move to a different school.”

Chloe glared at her. “And that’s a threat how?”

Lila smiled. “Because after I transfer schools, I’m going to request a personal bodyguard. And I’ll choose Sabrina’s dad.”

“What? How?” Chloe said. “You can’t do that!”

“Oh, but I can,” Lila said. “He’s a single father trying to do his best for his daughter. A higher paying position would be beneficial. Plus, I would convince him to move his daughter to the new school. After all, what kind of dad wouldn’t want an excuse to keep an eye on his daughter. Especially one who lost their close friend to jealousy and baseless vitriol.”

Chloe was frozen in fear. Lila came up and whispered in her ear. “Now be a good girl and stay quiet.” Lila started walking off. “Maybe you can make more friends by getting along with me.” She smiled.

In the present, Chloe had just finished up her story. “Holy shit” Kagami said.

“It sucks,” Chloe said. “I couldn’t save myself, let alone Marinette. I hate it! And I hate Lila!”

Chloe was breathing heavily. “Well, I’m glad we’re all on the same page” Adrien said.

Chloe seemed puzzled. “Huh? You don’t like Lila either?”

Adrien shook his head. “And that brings me to the second secret.” He got up and walked over to his computer.

“What are you doing?” Chloe asked.

“I just need to make sure everything’s good to go,” Adrien said. He messaged Marinette. “You ready?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then.” Adrien hit the call button. “Come over here” Adrien said. Chloe and Kagami walked toward the computer. Marinette picked up and she was now on Adrien’s computer screen.

Chloe and Kagami were confused. “Marinette?” Chloe said.

“Ahem” said Adrien. “Presenting the one, the only, Ladybug: Master designer of Paris!”

“Um, hello,” Marinette said nervously.

“WHAT?!” Chloe said. “Marinette is LADYBUG?!”

“Wait…” Kagami said. “So… how?...Huh?”

Adiren smirked. “It’s kind of complicated. See, I had figured out on my own that Ladybug’s name was Marinette.”

“And then he saw me looking at him,” Marinette continued. “When he asked, he heard my name and thought we might be one in the same. Which was confirmed when his father emailed him saying that I had sent him some designs I made when I saw him entering school.”

“And since I wanted to talk to her, I had to figure out how to do that,” Adrien said, continuing on. “But I had no conventional way of doing so. I figured the best method would be to sneak out. But if anyone saw me, my parents would freak out. Hence this getup.”

“He made his way to my place and threw a note up to my balcony,” Marinette said, taking over. I got it, and we started talking. He’d heard what had happened, but didn’t want to believe it because I was Ladybug. After some discussion, we became friends.”

“I see…” Kagami said.

“Marinette, I’m so sorry!” Chloe said.

Marinette was confused “Why?”

“Well, um…” Chloe said. She then blurted “I knew Lila planted the necklace in your locker, but I couldn’t do anything about it!”

“What?” Marinette said.

“Lila had threatened her,” Adrien said.

“Oh. I see” Marinette said.

“So, what’s all this for?” Kagami asked.

“Well, I was thinking,” Adrien said, “now that we’re all on the same page, why don’t we forge a united front against Lila.”

Kagami smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

“I’m on board too!” Chloe said. “It’s about time someone put her in he place!”

“Um, but how?” Marinette asked.

“Well, I haven’t thought it through entirely yet” Adrien admitted. “However, I think for now we could start a group chat.”

“Good idea!” Chloe said. “If we pool our knowledge together, we can hit her where it hurts.”

“Yeah, that might be all we can do in person for now,” Kagami said. “If I don’t start heading home soon, my mom will start to worry.”

“That’s fine,” Adrien said. They exchanged contact info and made a group chat for the purposes of taking down Lila. “And set.”

“I should get going too,” Chloe said. “My dad gets similarly worried if I’m not home by a certain time.”

“Take care,” Adrien said. Kagami and Chloe waved goodbye and left. Adrien sat down at his computer. “So, how are you feeling?”

Marinette chuckled. “Sorry. Can you take the mask off?”

“Oh, sorry” Adrien said. He took the mask off. “But really. Are you doing alright?”

Marinette hesitated for a minute. “Yeah… I think so.”

“Well that’s good,” Adrien replied. “I know that opening up to people is hard for you.”

Marinette blushed. “Well, it’s actually a little easier with you around.”

Adrien returned the blush. “Thanks.”

Marinette calmed down. “But I realized something. As nervous as I might be, and as distant as I’ve made myself, those feelings are nothing compared to letting Lila get away with everything. I can’t afford this pity party anymore.”

Adrien was impressed. “Don’t worry. We’ll get her. Especially now that we have more support.”

Marinette smiled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Still, none of this wouldn't be happening if it wasn’t for you.”

Adrien grinned. “Nah, it’s all you’re doing.” Marinette was puzzled. “You reached out by making such amazing fashion. Your hand was outreached, waiting for someone to find you. I just decided to do so.”

“Is that so?” Marinette said. She started laughing and crying. Adrien was shocked. “Sorry. I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

Adrien smiled. “Well, I’m glad you seem to be getting your smile back.” Adrien and Marinette spent the rest of the evening talking about random things. Eventually, they both decided to go to bed. Adrien smiled, drifting off to sleep wistfully reminiscing on Marinette’s smile. Marinette fell asleep thinking about Adrien’s kind words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So right now I'm at a place where I know what I want to happen, but I just don't know the order. I'm sure I'll figure it out though. It just might take a bit of time.


	16. Closer

As Adrien walked into class the next day and sat down, Lila walked up to him. “Hey Lila, what’s up?”

“Hi Adrien,” Lila said. “I know she’s your friend and everything, but I just want to talk to you about Chloe.”

Adrien was concerned. “Did she do anything to offend you?”

“Well, not exactly,” Lila said. “It’s just, I don’t think she gets along with the rest of the class that well. She’s territorial, aggressive, and kind of, well, bratty. I’m worried that if you keep hanging out with her, you’ll start to become more like her and lose friends.”

Adrien seemed puzzled. He then smiled. _An opening!_ “Do you think I’m like that now?”

“Oh of course not Adrien!” Lila said.

“I see,” Adrien said. “Well, not only is Chloe my oldest friend, for a long time she’s been my only friend.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that” Lila said.

“It’s OK,” Adrien said. “I know Chloe. I know she can be like that, but she has her reasons.”

“So, how do you deal with it?” Lila asked.

“Well, I know Chloe” Adrien responded. “I know she’s a good person all around. It’s just a matter of trying to appeal to her in a way that let’s her know you care, but also that she hasn't done what’s right.”

“That sounds frustrating,” Lila said.

“It can be” Adrien admitted. “But it’s worth it. Believe me, you’ll hardly find someone who can light up a room than a Chloe who’s determined to do good. Although, I don’t have many references.”

Lila smiled. “She must mean a lot to you.”

“She does,” Adrien said.

Lila’s expression saddened. ”Still. I don’t know. There’s something Chloe’s been doing that’s been bugging me.”

Adrien looked at her curiously. “What is it?”

Lila hesitated. “She’s been leading poor Kim on. Kim has been pining for her ever since before I came to this school. But all Chloe’s been doing is using him!”

_Kim did mention he liked Chloe._

“It’s a shame too,” Lila said. “I think they’d make a nice couple.”

Adrien looked at Lila. “I’m not so sure about that.” Lila was surprised. “Don’t get me wrong, I like them both, and I think they both deserve happiness. It’s just I don’t know if Kim is Chloe’s type.”

“Well, you do know her better than I do,” Lila said. “But I’d like to do something about it.”

“Of course” Adrien said. “Tell you what? Why don’t I talk to Chloe and see if the three of us can meet to discuss this.”

“You’d do that?” Lila said eagerly.

“Of course” Adrien said. “Anything for a friend.” He smiled.

Lila smiled back. “Thanks Adrien.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Adrien said.“ I enjoy doing it,” Lila said. Adrien chuckled and blushed. “Well, class is about to begin.”

“Alright,” Adrien said. “Hey. when are you not busy?”

“Pardon?” Lila asked. “Oh, right. Well, if it’s for my friends, I can make the time.”

“I see,” Arien said. “Thank you.” They smiled at each other and Lila walked to her seat. Adrien took out his phone and messaged the group

.Adrien: Hey, I just had a conversation with Lila.

Adrien: I think we can use this to our advantage.

Adrien: But I’m going to have to humble you a little Chloe.

Chloe: Humble me? How?

Adrien: I’ll explain the details at lunch.

Chloe: I like the sound of a lunch date.

Adrien: Yeah, going to one of our places would be good.

Kagami: I also came up with an idea.

Kagami: And I’m going to need Marinette’s help.

Marinette: Me?

Kagami: I’ll explain the details later.

Kagami: I think it could work, I’m just not sure.

Marinette: Well, if you think it’ll be helpful, then I’ll help.

Kagami: Thanks.

Adrien: Class is starting, so I’ll check in later.

Adrien put his phone away and got himself ready for class.

At lunch, Chloe came up to him. “Alright Adrien, my place?”

“Your place?” Adrien asked.

“Well, we went to your place yesterday,” Chloe added.

Adrien chuckled. “Oh yeah.”

“Um, Adrien?” Lila asked. The two of them looked at her.

Adrien smiled. “Don’t worry Lila. I’m talking with Chloe about what you talked to me about. You know how stubborn she can get, and I feel like it would be easier if I came to her first to grease the wheels before the two of us just jumped into this.”

Lila smiled. “You’re right Adrien. I feel like you can help her be a little less stubborn. You two are awfully close after all.”

“Thanks for believing in me, Lila,” Adrien said. Lila blushed slightly. “Anyways, we should head out, right Chloe?”

“Right,” Chloe said annoyed. Adrien laughed nervously. She started to walk out.

“I think I’m going to be paying for that over lunch,” Adrien noted. “Well, seeya.” He waved and left.

He and Chloe got into a limo that took the two of them to Le Grand Paris. Once there, they went into Chloe’s room where they placed and order for lunch to be delivered to them. While waiting, Chloe exclaimed “You better have a good explanation for what happened back there with Lila Agreste!”

“Eh heh heh” Adrien laughed. He grinned. “As a matter of fact, I do.” Chloe seemed surprised. “It’s a bit complicated, but if we can pull this off, it’ll be worth it.”

Chloe then followed up with a grin of her own. “It sounds like devious Adrien has come out.”

“Well, what can I say?” Adrien said. “Only fitting for a hero like Cat Noir to fight off a villain.”

There was a knock at the door. Chloe got up and answered it. It was their food. Chloe took it, looked at Adrien, and thanked the delivery person. She took the food to Adrien, and the two started eating.

“So, what’s this about?” Chloe asked. She took a bite.

Adrien answered. “Kim.” Chloe started choking in shock, but she managed to get herself to breath. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Chloe said. “I just wasn’t expecting...this…”

“Yeah…” Adrien said. “So, Lila tells me you’ve been leading him on? And I also heard from Kim himself that he wanted me to help him with you. So, what’s the deal?”

Chloe sat there silently for a few seconds. “Look. I’ve done a bunch of terrible things. Like, a bunch. Things I wish I could take back. But what’s going on with Kim is...a little more complicated.

One day, I needed help with my locker, and Kim was there for me. And then when I dropped one of my books, he picked it up for me. Little stuff like that kept happening, but I didn’t think anything of it. When I realized he was trying to flirt with me, I was in so deep I didn’t know what to do.”

Adrien listened to her. “Why haven’t you said anything?”

“Well…” Chloe said. She sighed. “I mean, part of it is I did like the attention. But also, by the time I noticed, Lila was already manipulating everything. She seems really adamant to get Kim to end up with me. And also, I relly am not sure how to deal with this! They don’t teach you ‘How to clarify you messed up’ in school.”

“I see,” Adrien said. “I did notice that Lila wante you and Kim to become a couple. Would you happen to know why?”

Chloe scoffed. “Probably because Kim saw me being more docile around her after Marinette left so he asked her for advice.”

“I see,” Adrien said. “Well then, I think this could work.”

“So, what exactly are you planning Adrien?” Chloe asked.

Adrien smiled ear to ear. “Well, like I said it’s complicated. Basically, I’m going to work with Lila to help you solve this issue.”

Chloe was confused. “Hold on, work with LILA?!”

“I know it seems antithetical to our agreement, but it’ll help us in the long run” Adrien said. “By doing this, Lila will believe I’m under her influence, as well as a good means of keeping you in check. That might lower her guard around me, and she’ll let loose some information on how to undermine her further.

At the same time, we’ll help Kim out together, but not exactly in the way Lila wants. Affirming the class’s trust in me further, while also disrupting Lila’s little web just a bit. A push here, a tug there. Sooner or later, it’ll unravel. All the while, Lila will believe I’m on her side.”

Chloe was stunned at the intricacy of this. “Wow Adrien. That IS devious.”

“Well, fire with fire” Adrien said. “However, the linchpin in all of this is you actually setting the record straight with Kim. It’ll all backfire if you don’t do that. Do you think I can handle it?”

Chloe thought about it for a moment. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I can.”

“Great,” Adrien said. “Now, shall we finish eating?” The two of them had a delightful lunch after the discussion, and then headed back to school.

As the limo drove back to school, Adrien got out. He noticed Chloe wasn’t following him. “You coming?”

Chloe looked at him. “Well, we have some time before class yet. I’ve got an idea. Do you trust me?”

Adrien smiled. “Of course Chloe.” Chloe smiled back. She closed the door and the limo drove off. Adrien walked into school. Lila was in the courtyard, looking at him intently. _Of course she was waiting for me._ “Hey Lila.”

“So, how did it go with Chloe?” she asked.

“It went well,” Adrien said. “I’m sure when we meet with her this afternoon, we can help her.”

Lila smiled. “That’s good to hear.” The two of them headed toward the classroom.

After school, Adrien and Lila walked up to Chloe. “You know what this is about, right Chloe?” Lila asked.

Chloe looked dejected. “Yeah…”

“It’s OK Chloe. I’ll be here with you” Adrien assured her.

Chloe smiled nervously. “Alright.”

“Let’s go!” Adrien said. They found someplace private to talk.

“So, what IS going on between you and Kim?” Lila came out of the gate swinging. “Why ARE you leading him on?”

“Well…” Chloe said, stunned by the suddenness.

“Go ahead Chloe,” Adrien said. “Just tell her what you told me. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Chloe started blushing. “Ugh. Fine Adrien. For you.” She took a deep breath. “Lila. You...we...ugh, the WHOLE class knows that I am not the best person.” Lila was shocked to hear this admission. “But what happened with Kim was a fluke. I...honestly didn’t realize Kim was trying to get me to like him for a while. And by the time I realized it, I...I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I was so used to it, and…” she sighed.

Lila was still shocked. “Wow.” “See, it was just a misunderstanding,” Adrien said.

“I see,” Lila said. “Well, why did you panic? Do you like Kim like that?”

“NO I DON’T LIKE KIM LIKE THAT!” Chloe yelled back.

“Relax,” Adrien said.“Sorry” Chloe replied. “I feel so pathetic right now. Utterly pathetic.”

“It’s OK. We all feel like that sometimes” Adrien said. “But it’s not right to let this continue. Don’t you agree Lila?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah” she said. “You need to tell Kim.”

“I know,” Chloe said.

“Do you want us to be there for you?” Adrien asked.

Chloe looked up. “Yeah. I’d like that.” Chloe started walking.

“Um, Chloe?” Adrien asked.

“I know what he’s doing now,” Chloe said. “Follow me.”

Adrien looked at Lila. “I guess we just have to trust her.” Lila nodded. The two followed Chloe. They managed to catch Kim just as he was about to leave.

“Kim!” Chloe said. Kim looked at her surprised. Chloe looked back at Adrien and Lila, and sighed. She turned back to Kim. “I need to tell you something.”

Kim was ecstatic. “What is it Chloe?”

Chloe was hesitant, but then she became determined. “I’m sorry” she began. Kim was taken aback. “Look, I know this is going to be hard for you to hear, it’s hard for me to say even, but you need to hear this. I...I don't like you in the same way you seem to like me.”

Kim was dejected. “Oh…”

“And I’m sorry” Chloe continued. Kim got confused. “I didn’t realize you were making a pass at me for a while. And when I realized it, I didn’t know what to do. But after talking it through with Adrien and Lila...I feel like this is the right thing to do. So, again, I’m sorry.” Chloe averted her gaze.

Kim put his hand on her shoulder. Chloe looked up at him. “It’s OK Chloe.” It was Chloe’s turn to be surprised. “I don’t want to make you do something you don’t want to do. I’m glad you were able to tell me.”

“So, you’re OK with this?” Chloe asked.

“Well, I am a little sad,” Kim said. “But it’s not the end of the world. I’m sure I’ll get over it. Anyway, I’ve gotta go. Seeya!” He started walking off.

“WAIT!” Chloe called out. Kim looked back at her. Adrien and Lila were confused. Chloe walked up to Kim and took two movie tickets out of her purse. “Here.”

Kim was puzzled. “Um, what are these for?”

“They’re for you and that Ondine girl in your swimming class, or whatever” Chloe said nervously.

“Ondine?” Kim questioned.

“Ugh, as oblivious as I am when it comes to my feelings, I can tell she likes you” Chloe said. “So you can ask her out maybe…”

“Seriously?” Kim asked. “I...I hadn’t thought of that...You think she likes me?”

“Uh, yeah, I just told you that!” Chloe said.“Hmmmm” Kim said, thinking. “Well, I don’t think you’re lying.”

“Why would I lie?” Chloe asked, annoyed.

Kim giggled. “It’s OK. I think I’ll go for it. After all, it seems like you want what’s best for me. I’ll tell you how it goes.”

“Oh. Uh, thanks?” Chloe said.

“Seeya!” Kim said, running out. Chloe sighed deeply and walked off.

Lila turned to Adrien and asked “Be honest, did you tell her to do that?”

“Well, I talked to her about telling Kim the truth,” Adrien began. He smiled. “But those tickets were all Chloe’s idea.”

“Really?” Lila.

Adrien nodded. “It’s like I told you: ‘you’ll hardly find someone who can light up a room than a Chloe who’s determined to do good.’ Again though, I don’t have much to compare to.

Lila smiled. “It’s OK. I know what you mean.”

At the pool, Ondine was doing some stretches. “Hey Ondine,” Kim said, approaching her. “Wanna play secrets?”

Ondine was confused for a moment, but smiled and said “Sure.”

“I’ll go first,” Kim said. “May I?” Ondine gave him the bracelet and turned around. She saw it get thrown into the pool and jumped in for it.

Once Ondine picked the bracelet up and surfaced, she opened it up. “Movie tickets?” She looked up to see a nervous Kim.

“Um, would you like to go to the movies with me?” he asked.

A confused Ondine got out of the pool. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“Well...um...yes?” Kim answered.

Ondine hugged Kim, surprising him. Kim looked down, and Ondine looked up. Their eyes met. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to do this!”

Kim gazed into Ondine’s eyes more. As he did so, he noticed something he hadn’t seen before. Or at least failed to realize. _We were always so close_ he thought. _How come I didn’t see her beauty until now?_ He smiled, chuckled at himself, and nestled his head on hers.

Meanwhile, Kagami entered the bakery. “Um, hi,” she said.

Sabine smiled at her. “What can I do for you?”

Kagami was a little nervous; “Um, would it be possible to talk to Ladybug?” Sabine and Tom froze completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was hard coming up with a name for this chapter, but I think I did well. Aside from that though, this was a fun chapter to write. It felt so lively. The game is afoot, and it's heading into a fever pitch. I am excited to write what happens next.


	17. Full of Surprises

Tom and Sabine were nervous. They looked at each other, and then back at this young woman who was asking them about Ladybug. “Uhhhh, well…” Sabine started. “She IS mysterious. So, it would be hard to find her.”

“What do you mean?” Kagami asked. “She’s upstairs, isn’t she?”

Tom and Sabine got more nervous. “Um, what makes you say that?” Tom asked.

Kagami was confused. “She told me? Hang on.” She got out her phone and messaged Marinette.

Soon after, Marinette came charging down to the bakery muttering “Nonononononononononononono.” She saw Kagami and her parents face to face. “Ughhhhhhhhh” she said.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” Sabine asked.

Marientte was not prepared for this. Still, she felt like the truth was the best course of action from here on. “She knows I’m Ladybug.”

There was a silence. “WHAT? No” Tom said, feigning ignorance.

Marinette let out a little laugh. “It’s OK. I told her.”

“Oh” Tom said.

“Well, if she knows…” Sabine said, tepidly.

“It’s fine,” Marinette finished. “I...just wasn’t expecting this.”

“Oh” Kagami said. “I’m sorry. I thought…”

“It’s fine,” Marinette said again. “I’m just surprised is all.” There was a bit of silence. “Well, since you’re here, um, do you want to come up to my room?” Kagami nodded and both girls headed upstairs. “Here we are,” Marinette said, showing Kagami her room.

Kagami looked around. “You have more than a few posters of Adrien.”

Marinette quickly got embarrassed. “Um, yes, well, he is a model,” she began, “and I do work for his father’s company. So…”

Kagami smiled. “It’s fine.”

Marinette sighed. “So, what’s your idea? And why do you need me?”

Kagami took a deep breath. “Well, I was thinking. If Adrien is Cat Noir, and Cat Noir can sometimes function to undermine Lila, then I propose that, um, I could be a second Cat Noir?”

“A second Cat Noir?” Marinette said, confused.

“Yeah,” Kagami said. “So that way if there’s something Adrien can’t do, I can be there. Also, if it so happens that someone starts to pick up on the fact that Adrien is Cat Noir, there could be a chance meeting of the two.”

“I see,” Marinette said. “I’ve gotta say, that’s actually kind of clever.”

Kagami nodded. “So, um, I don’t know what Adrien all got from you to be Cat Noir, but…”

“Oh, that’s why you asked me for help,” Marinette said. “Well alright then. The basic tenets of Adrien’s Cat Noir costume are the hoodie, the gloves, and the mask. The hoodie, you can just get in a store. The gloves you could also get, but it would be weird, since they’re more featured in motorcycle stores. I think I have a pair here, but it would take some searching.

As for the mask, well, that was a design that was rejected for a photoshoot just painted black. I can make one for you, but it will take a bit. Now, there’s one other thing. Whenever Adrien goes out as Cat Noir, he has a Cat Noir phone case. I can make that as well, but again that will take time.”

Kagami was stunned. “Wow. I knew I came to the right person for this.” She smiled.

“Erm, yes, well,” Marinette stammered. “Thanks?”

“Don’t mention it,” Kagami said. “So, I guess I’ll just leave you to it then?”

“WAIT!” Marinette cried out. “Um, well, uh,, see, it’ just been a while since I’ve had company. I was kind of hoping this might last a little longer, you know…”

Kagami smiled. “Sure,” she said, Marinette looked up, confused and delighted. “To be completely honest, I was asked to come here by my mother. An organization she works with is hosting a party, and she was tasked with supplying the food. She asked me to come over and place an order for some confectioneries. I just thought I would do this while I was here.”

Marinette was delighted. “Oh. OH! Oh that’s GREAT!” she hugged Kagami. “Thank you.” When she didn’t get a hug back, Marinette got embarrassed, and quickly let go. “Ahem. Sorry” she said.

Kagami smiled. “It’s alright. I wasn’t expeccting it is all. No need to worry. I should head down and place the order now. But I’ll be back.”

Marinette let out a quiet “OK” as Kagami headed down the hatch.

Kagami walked back into the bakery. “Um, there’s another reason I came here” she told the couple.

Tom and Sabine were shocked to hear this. “What would that be?”

“My mother asked me to place an order for an event next week Friday,” Kagami explained. “She gave me a list of everything needed for the event.” She handed the list to them. “Is that going to be doable?”

Tom and Sabine looked it over. “You say you need these by next Friday?” Tom asked. Kagami nodded. They looked at the list again. “What do you think dear?”

“Well, it seems doable,” Sabine said. “But we’d have to work especially hard.”

“Is there any other way we do things?” Tom asked jovially.

Sabine blushed and shook her head. “Oh you…”

“So, you’ll do it?” Kagami asked.

The two looked at her. “Of course” Sabine said.

“Great,” Kagami said, excited. “I’ll get you the details on how to deliver the food on Monday.”

“Thank you dearie” Sabine said.

“Um, I’m going to stay a little longer,” Kagami said. “Marinette asked me to stay.”

“She did?” Sabine said, confused.

“Yeah,” Kagami said.

Tom and Sabine smiled. “Alright then. Thank you for telling us” Sabine said.

“Thanks,” Kagami said. She headed back upstairs.

Marinette was working on something when she heard Kagami walk in. “Oh. How’d it go?” she asked.

“It went well,” Kagami answered. “They said they could do it.”

Marinette smiled. “I knew they could.”

Kagami looked over Marinette to what she was working on. “What’s that?” “Oh” Marinette said. She turned around and showed Kagami. “It’s your mask. I started working on it. It should be ready in a few days. I also found those gloves.”

Kagami looked at her impressed. “You really are good at this stuff” she said.

Marinette blushed. “Thanks,” she said. She set the mask down. “So, what’s this event?”

“It’s a charity auction at the Louvre,” Kagami explained. Marinette nearly fell over upon hearing that. Kagami helped her get readjusted. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said. “That just took me by surprise is all. The last time we helped cater an event for the Louvre…”

Kagami got concerned. “What happened?”

Marinette was still hesitant. “Well, Alix, one of my former classmates, her dad works at the Louvre. I agreed to help with the catering. However, I can be clumsy at times. I tripped and fell onto the table she was sitting at.”

“Well, that kind of thing can happen to the best of us,” Kagami explained.

“It gets worse,” Marinette continued. “She had just received an heirloom and had it with her. I smashed it to pieces” Marinette began tearing up. “I apologized relentlessly, although I don’t think she forgave me. Her dad said it could be fixed, but one of the parts was lost in the shuffle.” Marinette sighed. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Kagami thought about it. “You said it’ll take some time for both the mask and the phone case.” Marinette nodded confused. “Well then, I have an idea.” Marinette was surprised. “Let’s see if we can’t find the missing piece during this event!”

“That’s...a tall order,” Marinette said. “This was a while ago, and I hadn’t heard anything about it since.”

“Well, it couldn’t have just disappeared,” Kagami explained. “Something must have happened to it.”

“Yeah, but how?” Marinette asked. She then realized something. “Wait a minute… Lila was there! You don’t think-”

“Whatever you’re about to say, I do think she would” Kagami answered. “I don't have the highest opinion of her”

Marinette got more frustrated. “Well, she didn’t have it when she left. They did a thorough search of everyone before they left, and they didn’t find it.”

“Which means she must have hid it,” Kagami affirmed.

Marinette focused. “I don’t know. This all seems ludicrous.”

“Well, it’s worth a shot,” Kagami said. “She faked you stealing her necklace, right? Who knows what else she would do?”

Marinette thought about it more. _She did just recently try to get Chris to beat up Manon. There’s no limit to what she would do for power._ “Alright. It’s worth a shot I guess.”

“Great!” Kagami said. “I’ll contact the others and explain the details.” She got out her phone and messaged Adrien and Chloe

Adrien looked at the message. He messaged them back. “Wait, I know about this event. My parents are planning to make an appearance there.” He looked up. He was still with Lila after they had just sorted out the whole Chloe-Kim debacle. He spoke with her. “Hey, are you aware of a charity auction being held at the Louvre next week Friday?”

Lila seemed excited. “Oh, of course Adrien. I’m going to be there with my mother.”

Adrien smiled. “To be honest, my parents are thinking of attending as well. Although I was on the fence about making an appearance myself until now.”

Lila gasped. “You mean?”

“Yeah, you’ve convinced me,” Adrien said. “I’ll be there if you’ll be there.”

“Oh my GOSH! This is so amazing!” Lila said. “I cannot WAIT!”

“Me either” Adrien said. “Well, I should probably get going. I need to tell my parents so I can fully prepare.”

Lila smiled. “You do that.” Adrien walked out and hopped in his limo, driving off. Lila’s smile turned devious. “Man, this is going easier than I thought. Maybe Adrien will become my boyfriend sooner than anticipated.”

Meanwhile, in his limo, Adrien also donned a devious smile. “It’s working. She believes I’m eating out of her hand.” He messaged the group. “I think we should meet tomorrow to discuss strategy.”

Back at Marinette’s, they received the message. “Sounds like a plan” Kagami messaged back. She looked up at Marinette. “Alright, so it looks like we’re meeting tomorrow. What do you want to do with the rest of today?”

Marinette thought on it. “Well, to be honest, all of this took me by surprise. I just kind of want to relax a little.”

“I can get behind that,” Kagami said. “I know when I like to relax, I watch cooking competition shows. You wanna try that?”

Marinette smiled. “I’d like that.” The two of them sat down in front of Marinette’s screen to watch some cooking competition shows for the rest of the afternoon. It really surprised Marinette how relaxing it can be to watch something so seemingly intense.

After a while, Kagami got ready to leave. “Thanks for doing all this,” Marinette said sheepishly.

Kagami smiled. “No problem. It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this too. And thanks for helping me with this second Cat Noir costume.” She took the gloves from Marinette’s desk. She started to leave. She stopped. “Oh, and by the way, I won’t tell Adrien you like him.”

Marinette’s face turned ruby red. “What? No. Psh. Come on.”

Kagami smiled. “Like I said, your secret’s safe with me. Well, talk to you tomorrow” she said, leaving.

“Bye” Marinette said. Once the flush left her face she sat down and smiled. “Today was a pretty good day after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of inside baseball for you. I was having difficulties figuring out a few different things. Well, with this I think I've figured something out. It hit me as I was writing this chapter and realizing that it would be a fairly short chapter if it was just Kagami coming over and getting stuff for a second Cat Noir costume. So I had to improvise, and then when I figured the food order thing out, everything else came to me like that. So now, I have a new big moment to build up to while working on filling that time up with little moments to lead to big moments that I know I want for later.
> 
> Writing this story is this weird flux between "I have no idea what I'm doing" and "I know exactly what I'm doing". It's an interesting feeling, and one of the unique feelings I get when writing this. Alongside it are "I'm just writing a YA novel with ML characters" and "It's weird to not have kwamis, because I feel like they're important, but at the same time I can't think of a good reason why Tikki would let Marinette spiral down to the level she began the story at, so that's why." Boy I felt like sharing today. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.


	18. Risk Analysis

The next day, Adrien arrived home and went to his computer. Started up the chatroom and enabled video chat. Marinette was already there. ‘Hey, 'he said.

“Hello” she replied.

“How have you been?” Adrien asked.

Marinette blushed slightly. “I think I’ve been doing OK.”

“That’s great,” Adrien replied.

Marinette looked at him. “How about you? How have you been doing?”

Adrien was now slightly blushing. He shook it off, smiled, and said “I’m doing great.”

“That’s good to hear,” Marinette responded.

Kagami joined the call. “Hey Kagami,” Adrien said.

“Hey,” Kagami said back.

Chloe joined. “Ugh, why are we doing video chat again?”

“Because Chloe, it would be weird if the three of us kept meeting conspicuously,” Adrien explained. “Besides, since Marinette doesn’t really leave her place, this is easier.”

“Well, unless Lila’s bugged us,” Kagami explained. “But I doubt that.”

“Right…” Adrien said. “OK, now that we’re all here, I want to review everything. So, next week is a charity auction at the Louvre.”

Marinette jumped in. “The last time I was there, I tripped and accidentally broke Alix’s heirloom, and one of the pieces went missing.”

“I have a sneaking suspicion that Lila must have hidden it somehow” Kagami surmised. “She couldn’t have taken it out, due to the security searching everyone.”

“Yes, we know this,” Chloe explained.

“It would be more productive if you kept your sarcastic remarks to a minimum” Kagami reminded her.

Chloe growled. “Um, Chloe, were you there as well?” Adrien asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah” Chloe answered.

“Well, what can you tell us?” Adrien asked.

Chloe thought. “Well, she would have to have been quick. For about five minutes, everyone was focused on Marinette and Alix. I...think it must have happened in that time frame.”

“Five minutes, huh…” Marinette mourned. “I lost a friendship in five whole minutes.”

“Hey, it’s OK,” Adrien said. “We’re working to get it back.”

Marinette smiled. “Yeah… Thanks.”

“Ahem” Kagami said, getting things back on track. “I think Chloe is right. With that, we can narrow down our perimeter.”

“But why not take it later?” Chloe said. “You know, just on a normal day.”

“Well, she did it more to divide me and Alix” Marinette said. “I don’t think she needed to have it, so long as it isn’t found.”

“I see…” Chloe said.

“Now this is where I come in,” Adrien said. “During the auction, I’m going to be accompanying Lila. I’m going to take note of anything she’s particularly fond of. If anything, she’s likely to check on her hiding place to see if it remains undisturbed.”

“When he thinks he’s found it, he will contact me,” Kagami said. “I will break away and change into my Cat Noir costume. I will carefully look for it, and when I’ve found it, make a grand public appearance with it.”

“Great, so why am I even here?” Chloe said. “We sort of figured this out already.”

“Yeah, but this kind of stuff needs to be confirmed,” Adrien said. “It’s a huge risk, and we might not even find anything.”

“Well, if this is a huge risk, we need someone to keep tabs on everyone to mitigate that” Chloe said.

Kagami smiled. “Good thinking Chloe, and thanks for volunteering.”

“Yeah-wait, what?!” Chloe said.

“You are the smartest choice,” Adrien said. “I have to keep Lila occupied, and Kagami has to do the actual legwork.”

“Wait Chloe. Are you still friends with Sabrina?” Marinette asked.

“Yes, we’re still friends” Chloe said. “And I think I know what you’re about to ask.”

“What?” Adrien said.

Chloe sighed. “Sabrina’s dad is a police officer. And yeah, there’s going to be a police detail. But I don’t know if I want to use Sabrina to get access to that.”

“Hm. Well, that would be useful” Adrien said. “But I understand.”

“Well, you’re also the mayor’s daughter,” Kagami pointed out. “Maybe you can work that angle.”

“I have seen you beg ‘daddy’ for less” Adrien chided.

“Shut up Agreste!” Chloe shouted. “But you do have a point.” She sighed. “I guess I could ask about that.”

“Alright. Anything else?” Adrien asked.

“Well, let’s see if we can’t rule anything else off right away” Marinette said. “I think it would have to be a permanent fixture.”

“I don’t think it could be loose anywhere either” Kagami mentioned. “If it could risk an accidental bump to loosen it, I doubt it would be there.”

“Hold on, what is it that we’re even looking for?” Chloe asked. “I mean, I know it’s that thing Marientte broke on accident, but I don’t know what that was.” The other three were shocked. “Well?”

Marinette looked down. “It was a pocket watch. And it was kind of advanced for the time. But I think the piece that went missing was typical.”

“So, ‘do research on parts of a pocket watch’,” Kagami noted. “Got it.”

“Well, it would also need to be hidden away somehow” Chloe said. “I mean, someone's bound to notice something like an old pocket watch part if it were hidden in plain sight. Especially in a place like the Louvre where experts on this stuff look on practically every day.”

“See, this is why having this meeting is important,” Adrien said.

“Yeah, you’re actually pretty smart,” Kagami added.

Chloe blushed slightly. “Oh, well, uh… thanks? Sorry, no one’s ever called me ‘smart’ before…”

Kagami giggled. “It’s OK.”

“Is there anything else we need to look over?” Mariette asked.

They all thought. “Without knowing more, I think this is as much as we can get on those details,” Kagami said.

“Alright,” Adrien called out, “all that’s left is planning. Marinette’s working on everything for Kagami’s Cat Noir costume. Can you finish it up by Thursday evening?”

“I think so,” Marinette said. “I mean, I have a few other things I need to work on, but time isn’t much of an issue.”

“OK then” Adrien said. “Kagami, what are you going to wear to the event?”

Kagami was confused. “Why is that a question?” Chloe asked.

“Sorry” Adrien responded. “It’s just, if she’s going to be Cat Noir, she’s going to either need to dress in something she can wear underneath the costume comfortably, or needs to be able to change out of it.”

“Wait, change out of it how?” Kagami asked. “I mean, no one really changes clothes at the Louvre.”

Adrien seemed puzzled. “Hm, I guess that’s a fair point.”

“I have an idea!” Marinette blurted out. Everyone else looked at her.

“...Well?” Chloe said.

“Um, yes, well” Marinette was sounding a bit unsure. “I just thought that, um, oh dear…”

Adrien smiled. “It’s OK Marinette.”

“Thanks Adrien,” Marinette said, slightly blushing. “Ahem. Well, uh, this is going to be bold, but this whole plan is bold, so what the heck. Um, I was thinking, maybe, if Kagami needed to change, that I could sneak into a bathroom and wait for her with her costume…” Everyone stared. “It’s OK, I know you hate it.”

“No, it’s great,” Adrien jumped in. “Really. I honestly could not think of a better plan.”

“Uh, really?” Chloe said. “Because it involves Marinette hiding out somewhere where she shouldn’t be. A lot of people are coming, so how can she avoid detection?”

“I knew it,” Marinette said.

“Now hold on, I’m sure we can think of something,” Adrien said. “After all, this is what this is for, and I think Marinette came up with a good idea.” They all gave it some thought. “Well, it only has to be for that night, right? I don’t think it needs to be too complicated.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said.

“Hmmm” Kagami pondered. “Well, what if we hide her in one of the stalls, and place an ‘Out of Order’ sign on the door.” She looked at Marinette. “You can take up a crouching position on the toilet, right.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said.

“OK, so, if you hide in there with a bag for my Cat Noir costume, I can change in there” Kagami said.

“But how is she going to get in?” Chloe asked.

“Well, my parents are helping cater the event,” Marinette explained. I can maybe sneak along with them.”

“But what about looks?” Chloe said. “Alix knows what you look like. Not to mention you caused a scene last time. I’m sure people would recognize the girl who crashed into a table.”

“Maybe...as Marinette” Adrien pointed out. “But so far, no one’s spotted her as Ladybug.”

“Well, yeah, she hasn’t left her room” Chloe pointed out.

“Oh, but she has,” Adrien said. “Once a week, she goes out and does some sketching among the public in disguise. She remains hidden, but if you know what to look for, you can find her.”

“I see…” Chloe said.

“OK, so I think that’s everything then, right?” Adrien said. They all wondered and then nodded. “Alight, so we know what we’re all doing. Let’s run it over once more.”

“Well, I’m going to work on finishing Kagami’s Cat Noir outfit, and on the night of, I’m going to sneak along with my parents, and sneak into the bathroom with Kagami’s costume. I’ll place a sign on the door to keep people out” Marinette explained.

“I’ll get the parts of the Cat Noir costume I can, and study the parts of a pocket watch. When the time comes, I will don the Cat Noir disguise and search for the part. Once I find it, I will make a grand gesture out of returning it” Kagami said.

Chloe looked at them and sighed. “I’m going to get the security plans for the event, and act as eyes and ears for Kagami.”

Adrien smiled. “And my job for the event is to get information from Lila by turning the Agreste charm up to 11. In some ways, it’s the most straightforward part. In other ways, it’s the most difficult”

“You know, you should probably tackle a few requests on Noir Notes before the event” Chloe pointed out.

“Why’s that?” Adrien asked.

Chloe began. “Well, if things go wrong, and Kagami gets caught-”

“I won’t let them catch me,” Kagami said.

“...Well, even if she causes a scene, and we fail, people might wonder why Cat Noir was sneaking around the Louvre,” Chloe explained. “If you do some requests, it might help your public image a bit. Something I thought you knew all about.”

“Well, honestly, father takes care of my public image for me” Adrien said, sheepishly. “But I think that’s an excellent point.”

“Even so, if we fail, some people might lose faith in Cat Noir regardless” Marinette said.

“Yeah, well, hm” Adrien said. “Well, I think it’s OK. I mean, this whole Cat Noir thing happened on accident anyway. I wouldn’t be too displeased by some people not trusting it anymore. Besides, we’re not doing this for me. We’re doing this for you. Whatever it takes, right?”

Marinette was surprised. “Right” she nodded.

“Well, today has been something,” Chloe said. “But I think we’ve reached the end of talking about what we’re going to do. Now let’s actually do it!”

Kagami smiled. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“Alright then. Thanks everyone” Adrien said. “Oh, and Marinette, see you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? Why?” Chloe demanded.

“Well, that’s her going out day. And ever since I found her out, I’ve been going with her” Adrien explained.

“Huh, I see,” Chloe said. She snickered.

“We have our work cut out for us,” Kagami said. “Let’s do this!”

“YEAH!” they all cheered. They then ended their video chat. They all felt energized like they haven’t before. Each of them felt that come Hell or high water, they were determined to make this work.


	19. Half-Truths

It was Saturday. As had become tradition, Adrien met up with Marinette on her day out. “Hey” he said, approaching her.

Marinette smiled, but averted her eyes. “Ummmmmmmmm.”

Adrien sensed her concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, um,” Marinette said. “I’m just a little concerned is all. I mean, you’re you. Sooner or later somebody’s bound to notice you doing this. And they’ll find me...”

“Oh” Adrien said. “Well, if you’re that worried, I guess we can stop.”

“NO!” Marinette yelled. “I mean, well, ugh…”

Adrien smiled. “It’s OK. Take your time.”

Marinette had to think a bit. “I… I don’t want this to stop. But I’m just worried about what would happen if this gets found out.” She sat down.

Adrien met her. “Are you worried people will find out you're Ladybug?”

Marinette shook her head. “Well, maybe a little. I’m more worried about people finding out that you’re hanging out with me. What with me still being a pariah and all…”

Adrien smiled. “Don’t be,” he said. Marinette looked up. “I mean, if that were to happen, I might lose a bit of my social standing, sure. But I don’t think any of what we have would change. We’d still fight to expose the truth. I’d still be the ever elusive Cat Noir. And we’d still have Kagami and Chloe in our corner. Sure, it might be more of an uphill battle, but the most important thing to remember is that you’re not alone. We’re in this together.”

Marinette smiled at Adrien’s kind words. “Thanks. You always seem to know just what to say.”

“Don’t mention it” Adrien replied. “So, what are you thinking of today? For designs, I mean.”

“Oh, well, I was thinking,” Marinette began, “I want to see what the sky has to offer.”

“The sky?” Adrien question.

Marinette nodded. “The sky's the ultimate bastion of freedom. On an especially sunny day like this, it makes me feel more free than ever. I want to see what I can glean from it, and capture that essence, so that others can experience the freedom you’ve been gifting me.”

Adrien giggled. “That sounds amazing.” The two of them laid down on the grass and started staring at the sky.

Meanwhile, Chloe was working on an important job. She peaked into her dad’s office to see that he was working on a few things. She went back around the corner and took a deep breath. “OK Chloe, you can do this. You’ve asked him to do all sorts of things before. Besides, this is all to get back at that stupid Rossi girl. COME ON!” She grew determined. She stormed into the Mayor’s office. “DADDY!”

“Gah!” Mayor Bourgeois exclaimed. “Oh Chloekins, you startled me.”

“Oh… sorry…” Chloe apologized. “Wait, no, I’m here for something!”

“What is it pumpkin?” the Mayor asked. Chloe had to remain determined. The entirety of the plan hinged on her getting the security information. If she didn’t get it, she couldn’t guarantee safe passage for Kagami, which means there would be no guarantee that she would find what she was looking for.

She slammed her hand on his desk. “What’s security going to be like at the charity auction?!”

“Charity auction?” Mayor Bourgeois inquired.

“Uh, yeah!” Chole responded with vigor. “If I’m going to this thing, I want to know that we have the best possible security for the event.” Mayor Bourgeois was a bit stunned. “Well?!”

“Ah, pardon me,” the Mayor said. “It’s just, you haven’t told me you were going.”

“Huh?” Chloe said, getting caught off guard. She remembered she was lukewarm on the event until this whole crazy plan came together. “Oh, right… Well, I’ve decided that I’m going, and I want to know what security is like!”

“Of course. Anything for you, Princess,” the Mayor said. He picked up his phone. “Hello, Roger? Yes, I am calling to ask to review the security for next Friday’s charity auction. … Why, my daughter’s going! I want to make sure it’s up to snuff. I can’t have anything bad happen to her. … Thank you Roger. See you soon.” He hung up.

20-30 minutes later, Roger and Sabrina were in the Mayor’s office. Together with the Mayor and Chloe, they were reviewing the security plans. “As you can see, Mr. Mayor, our security is state of the art. We’re leaving nothing to chance.”

“Magnificent Roger!” the Mayor congratulated. “Is that great Chloe?”

Chloe was taking detailed notes. “Yeah!’ she answered enthusiastically. “This is perfect!’

“If my daughter likes it, then I know it’s perfect!” the Mayor said. “You’ve done a splendid job.”

“Thank you,” Roger replied.

Sabrina was staring at Chloe. “Um, is that everything?” she asked.

“Of course sweetheart” Roger answered.

“Then, um, if it’s alright with you, would you mind if Chloe and I hung out the rest of the day?” Sabrina asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Roger said.

“I concur,” the Mayor added. “Now that you know you’re perfectly safe, why not relax a little Chloe?”

Chloe finished jotting her notes down. “You’re right. Thanks for doing this daddy.”

“Anytime pumpkin” Mayor Bourgeois said. Roger left while the Mayor got back to work.

The two girls started walking out. “Oh MAN Sabrina, you really know me” Chloe said. “After all of that, I could use a nice break. How ‘bout a spa date? Just the two of us.”

“Chloe…” Sabrina said seriously.

“Uh oh” Chloe said. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Sabrina looked at Chloe intently. “Last week, you told me you probably weren’t going to attend this event. Now today, you were intently listening and taking notes on the security detail.”

Chloe was surprised by Sabrina’s diligence. “Well, I decided to go, and I want to make sure I’m safe.”

Sabrina shook her head. “Chloe. I’m your best friend. I know something is going on.” Chloe looked away. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” Chloe continued looking away. Sabrina picked up her head and met her gaze. “Be honest. We’re best friends after all.”

Chloe was between a rock and a hard place. She didn’t want to give away Adrien’s whole secret, and by extension Marinette’s. Nor did she want to let it slip that she was doing this to out Lila as a liar and manipulator extraordinaire because Sabrina still liked Lila. But at the same time, Sabrina was asking this as her best friend. Chloe wanted to keep this relationship because it was important to her. She’d hate to see Sabrina disappointed in her.

She didn’t want to lie outright. That would make her no better than Lila. She settled on something she knew was risky, but given the nature of this plan, and this whole operation, it was her only option.

Chloe sighed. “Ugh, fine. Just promise you won’t tell anyone.”

“I promise,” Sabrina said. “Now what’s up?”

Chloe hesitated for a second. “The truth is, Cat Noir is making an appearance to help somebody with something. And he asked me to be there to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

Sabrina was a little shocked. “I didn’t see anything like this on Noir Notes.”

“Yes, well…” Chloe stumbled, “Cat Noir’s reach is greater than just Noir Notes, you know.”

“Huh” Sabrina thought. “You were really asked by Cat Noir himself?”

“Of course” Chloe said. “Cat Noir is second to none. As such, anyone who helps him also has to be second to none.”

“Wow Chloe!” Sabrina said. “I can’t believe it! My best friend is working with Cat Noir!”

“Shhhhhh!” Chloe shushed. “Remember, not a word to anyone.”

“Oh, right, right,” Sabrina said. She smiled. “Now, how about that spa date?”

Chloe smiled. “I’d like that.” The two of them continued off to the spa.

Meanwhile, Marinette and Adrien were looking at the sky together. Marinette was drawing all sorts of things. She noticed a cloud. “Hey, doesn't that look like that one sheep?”

Adrien looked at her. “Um, clouds tend to look like sheep Marinette. Big, white fluffy.”

Marinette chuckled. “I mean a specific sheep, silly. The one on that Fall Out Boy album. You know, with the wings?”

“Oh, Franklyn. On the Infinity on High album. Yeah, I guess it does” Adrien said. Marinette looked at him. ”You learn a lot when you’re bored at home with nothing to do.”

“I guess I haven’t learned as much as you have...” Marinette said.

Adrien giggled. “Well it’s because you haven’t been doing nothing.” Marinette was more confused now. “You’ve been working diligently as Ladybug to bring smiles to people's faces with your designs.”

Marinette blushed. “Thanks Adrien.” She started laughing. Adrien joined in as well.

“Adrien?” said a voice. Adrien sat up and turned towards the voice. Marinette sat up as well and turned away from it.

Adrien looked. “Kim? What are you doing here?” She stood up.

Kim, who was with Ondine, walked up to meet him. “I’m just on a date with my new girlfriend. This is Ondine.”

“Hi” she said, waiving gently.

“What are you doing here?” Kim asked.

“Um, well…” Adrien began.

“Who’s that?” Ondine asked, pointing at Marinette.

Adrien started to panic. _Marinette was just worrying about this. I can’t let her down. Think Adrien, think!_ Suddenly, something came to him. “Um, promise you won’t tell anyone about this, but that girl over there? She’s Ladybug.

_WHAT?!_ Marinette panicked in her own head.

“Huh, really?” Kim asked.

Adrien nodded. “To be honest, I kind of figured her out by accident, and we’ve been meeting in secret.”

“But why?” Ondine asked.

“Well, because she wants to remain reclusive and mysterious,” Adrien said. “She wouldn’t be able to be Paris’s number one designer if people found out she was going out with Paris’s top model.” Marinette tensed up.

“Wait, you’re going out?!” Ondine said, in shock.

Adrien nodded. “But we’ve only been doing these little excursions for now. So please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to ruin this.”

Kim nodded. “It’s OK. I understand. Love is worth protecting. Well, see ya!”

“It was nice meeting you,” Ondine said. The two of them walked off.

Adrien sat back down next to Marinette again. “Whew, that was a close call. I think I handled that pretty well.”

“Did you just say we were dating?!” Marinette asked.

“Yeah” Adrien answered. It then hit him. “Wait, did I just say we were dating?!”

“YES!” Marinette shrieked quietly so as not to draw attention.

“Oh” Adrien said, befuddled about what just came out of his mouth. “Huh.” Marinette groaned. “That… That was an accident…” Marientte groaned some more. “But on the plus side, they probably aren’t going to tell anyone.” Marinette continued groaning. Adrien sighed. “I’m sorry Marinette. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you.”

Marinette took a deep breath and calmed down a little. “No. It’s fine. For now. They did promise, and I know Kim is very serious when it comes to love. BUT, the way you can make it up to me is to get the truth about Lila out there.”

Adrien smiled. “Well, that’s the plan isn’t it?” They both giggled again. They continued looking at the sky for a little while longer.

After they got back home, they found a message from Chloe.

Chloe: I screwed up.

Chloe: I had to tell Sabrina I was working with Cat Noir.

Chloe: She picked up on me gathering the intel and confronted me about it.

Chloe: But I didn’t say WHO Cat Noir is or why he’s doing anything.

Chloe: And I did make her promise not to say anything.

Chloe: Still… I’m sorry.

Kagami: First off, Cat Noir is no longer just a “he”.

She posted a picture of herself in the same sweatshirt as the Cat Noir one.

Kagami: I think I look good in this.

Kagami: Once I get the mask, I’ll look even better.

Kagami: But second, I think you did a good job.

Chloe: Really?

Kagami: Yeah.

Kagami: You didn’t say anything too revealing while remaining honest.

Kagami: I find that admirable.

Chloe: ...Thanks.

Adrien: Sorry. Just got back.

Adrien: But yeah, you did good.

Adrien: Better than what happened with me and Marinette today.

Chloe: ??

Kagami: What happened?

Adrien: Well, it’s kind of embarrassing…

Chloe: Spill it!

Adrien: Well, um, Kim and Ondine came by and Kim recognized me…

Adrien: So to get out of it, I told them that Marinette was Ladybug, but they didn’t know it was Marinette. So that’s good.

Marinette: You forgot to tell them the other thing.

Kagami: What other thing?

Adrien: Well, I may have accidentally said that Marinette and I were dating.

Chloe: WHAT?!

Adrien: It just slipped out of my mouth. I didn’t even realize I said it until Marinette pointed it out.

Chloe: Ugh, honestly Agreste, sometimes you’re just too much to handle.

Marinette: It’s fine. Kim said he wouldn’t tell anyone.

Marinette: And I have to agree Kagami, you look really good.

Kagami: Thanks.

Kagami: So Chloe, did you get the information?

Chloe: Ugh, of course. I have it all written down.

Adrien: If only you were that diligent in class.

Chloe: I don’t need a lecture on smarts from someone who just did something so incredibly stupid.

Adrien: You’re right. I’m sorry.

Chloe: Apology accepted.

Marinette: Well, it sounds like we’ve all had eventful days.

Marinette: But we’re also this much closer to getting that piece and returning it to Alix.

Marinette: Which means one step closer to Lila’s exposure.

Chloe: You’re right. We need to keep our eyes on the prize.

Chloe: Let’s hope Adrien can keep his eyes off of you for long enough to make that happen.

Adrien: It was an accident.

Chloe: Don’t care. This is gonna be fun.

Adrien: Very well.

Adrien: Well, have a good evening everyone.

Kagami: Seeya!

Chloe: Later.

Marinette: Talk to you soon.

Marinette turned away from her computer. She placed her head in her palms and sighed. “He said it was just an accident. Of course it was. He couldn’t possibly like me for real, right?” She sighed again. “He’s just helping me out. Like a friend would. That’s all.” Tears started to stream from her eyes. She wiped them and got back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho boy, things are getting spicy now. I'm not entirely sure if I want to go to the Louvre mission right away, or if I want to do a few other things first. I'm going to tell you now, things are going to heat up more after the Louvre mission, so I'm leaning toward doing a few things beforehand to help get those ducks in a row. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.


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